Our Value Position

POLL HEREFORDS

Yalgoo Guarantees

  • Commercially disciplined herd management based on economic rationale
  • Fully described animals. Data gathered with acumen and integrity
  • Breed leading performance
  • Market acceptance of phenotype
  • Industry Best Practise for Product QA and service
  • Implementation of innovative technologies and techniques deemed of value to clients
  • Committed to providing topical, economically valuable information to clients regarding beef profitability

MERINO

Yalgoo Guarantees

  • Guaranteed, measurable genetic gain in the profit drivers
  • Fully described rams. Data collected with acumen and integrity
  • Industry best practise regarding Ram QA and customer service
  • Implementation of innovative technologies and techniques deemed of value to clients
  • Committeed to providing topical, economically valuable information to clients regarding sheep profitability
  • Market acceptance of phenotype
  • Disciplined, focused selection program driven by economic rationale

Business Overview

Our business consists of five enterprises:
  • Bull breeding Hereford herd
  • Cross breeding commercial cattle herd
  • Commercial merino flock
  • Ram breeding merino flock at Yalgoo
  • Ram breeding flock in Tasmania (Ashby)

History

The first Nivisons migrated from the Nith Valley, Dumfriesshire, Scotland to Sydney, Australia in 1839. They leased land near Murrurundi (Hunter Valley, New South Wales) for 2/3 years before moving to the Walcha district. Towser Nivison took up his portion of Ohio (YALGOO) in 1919. Since then Jock Nivison AM and Grant have managed Yalgoo. Grant’s son Jock is the current custodian.

The Property

Yalgoo consists of 3,300 hectares of loamy pipe clay soils with some areas of basalt. The property has a long fertiliser history with improved pastures first introduced in the 1950s.

Climate

The New England growing season is characterised by summer dominant rainfall, with a 750 ml average at Yalgoo. Because of a relatively high altitude (1,133 meters), summer temperatures rarely exceed 35ºC and winter temperatures are often sub-zero.

There is high-pasture growth in spring and summer and little growth during winter with the majority of pastures experiencing an extended period of dormancy with severe frosts that can go from March to October. Dry periods are generally in March/April and August/September.

Management

Pasture

Our pasture renovation program is 2 yrs of Italian Ryegrass (Warrior bred at Gatton) followed by permanent pasture comprising Tall Fescue (Quantum max. summer growth), Prairie grass (winter growth) as well as Astrid red clover and Trophy white clover. Lime is applied pre-sowing.

We also irrigate 20 ha of Turnip/Rye grass and 60 ha of Plantain/Chicory/ Clover. Fertilising is strategic with annual manure applications to recently renovated pasture. Weed control is integrated using grazing and chemical application.

Grazing

Stock are rotational grazed at a winter stocking rate of 12-14 DSE/ha. Stud ewes and cows receive no preferential treatment over their commercial peers. Pastures are preferably grazed to 400 kg DM/ha to ensure ground cover is upwards of 90% year round.

Supplementary feeding is rarely implemented, with stocking rate our primary seasonal relief tool.

  • “We have been using Yalgoo Rams for the last 60 years. They are large framed sheep with an abundance of superfine wool. Yalgoo sheep will not let you down. They are as good as you will find”

    Brian Turton

    Wool and Beef Producer, Walcha

  • “We have been increasing whole farm net profits by reducing micron, increasing clean fleece weights per hectare and complimented recently with excellent lamb mutton prices. This has come about by various management strategies, the key one being genetics. We have sourced pure Yalgoo genetics for sixteen years for this very reason and are very happy to continue to do so.”

    John Coughlan

    Mixed Farming Business, Cudal

  • “For more than 25 years we have been buying Yalgoo rams for our superfine merino flock because they are well grown, plain bodied sheep that produce plenty of bright, stylish wool.  Their genetics have performed very well for us in local wether trials, and most importantly, in the wool auction room. We also appreciate that the stud is at the forefront of performance recording and testing heritability of commercial traits such as worm resistance.”

    Tim Hughes

    Glenn Innes Wool Grower