FOUR decades breeding and exhibiting stud beef would almost qualify you as an old hand around showing circles.
Mr Pacholke started his Sunny Vale braford stud as a fresh faced 17-year-old straight out of school, and when asked why the third-generation beef producer made the move away from his parents’ commercial herd in favour of breeding his own, his answer was succinct – “I wanted to”.
“I just loved cattle and loved breeding them,” he said.
“I enjoy bringing out the best in my animals.”
His passion for showing cattle bit during school when in between helping his parents at home he lent a hand to his neighbours showing their cattle.
And from there it went.
The Clifton farmer has shown everywhere from Allora, to Bell, Theodore, as for north Rockhampton Beef Week and as south as Sydney and Melbourne, not forgetting his local shows in between.
“I’ve learnt a lot about what people like, and what makes a good animal and that not every judge likes the same thing,” he said.
He fondly recalls one heifer though that transcended individual opinion dominating show rings around the South east.
Sunny Lawn Lady Di was her name.
“She showed at Brisbane as a heifer and went on to win on the circuit as cow for years – I was really proud that I’d bred her,” Mr Pacholke said.
As most stud owners do, Mr Pacholke has particular traits he focuses on in his cattle, admitting he’s a bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to temperament.
“Brafords are generally pretty good, but there’s wild ones in every breed,” he said.
In his 40 years around the traps he has watched the stud beef scene change in terms of breeds, genetics and exhibitors.
“There seems to be more and more polled bulls around now, and I think as the cost of showing has gone up, so has the quality,” he said. “You’re not going to bother for an animal that’s not going to cut it.
“One thing about this side of the range though is we don’t get a lot of new breeds, we’re pretty traditional like that.”
Though still showing his own cattle, albeit in smaller numbers, Mr Pacholke also provides a fitting service for a number of breeders including Taroela braford stud.
With his daughter Jade, the manager of Taroela station in from Taroom to lend a hand, the Pacholkes led the braford stud to win the Grand Champion braford bull and Grand Champion tropical breed bull; Grand Champion braford cow and reserve junior champion braford heifer at the Allora Show recently.
Though as the years wear on the veteran exhibitor’s show circuit round trip includes fewer and fewer stops.
“I’m just tired these days but we still go to Beef Week because there’s still big business up there but the cost of doing it now is blowing out of proportion,” he said.
Currently in the thick of show season Mr Pacholke said it’ll be interesting to see how it pans out from here.
“I would have thought the drought and the price of feed would have brought numbers down, but entries still seem to be strong in most places,” he said.
Last year Sunnyvale reduced herd numbers by a quarter as drought and fatigue set in.
Were it not for the Christmas rains he may not have been able to get his cattle in show condition given the team are fed grain for at least two months before a show, all of which he grows himself.
“I would say before Christmas was the driest I’ve ever seen the place,” he said.
“But things are looking up and we’re building up herd numbers again – right now I could do with twice as many with all the feed around.”
FOLLOWING the lay of the land has taken Clifton pair Jade Pacholke and her partner Brad Knight from Clifton’s soft soil to the red dirt plains of North Queensland’s cattle country and down into the hills of Taroom.
The daughter of Sunny Vale braford stud owner Neil Pacholke at Clifton and now co-manager of Taroela station at Taroom said growing up with her dad on the land was all she’d ever known and all she’d ever wanted to be.
“I’ve never wanted more than this,” she said.
At just 18 Jade and her partner Brad took on their first job as station managers at Castle View station, an hour and a half north-west of Bowen.
During their four years on the brahman property it wasn’t the isolation, the long hours or the hard work that she found hardest – it was the cyclones.
“They got a bit hairy,” she said.
“We were stuck in without power for about a week each time as it was just too wet to get anywhere but it wasn’t too bad.”
Though she said her first true test on the land came after the chaos of the cyclone season and they were left to contend with the dry months.
“We were pulling out cows that had gotten stuck in the dams just trying to get at some water every day,” she said.
“The worst were the times we couldn’t get them out though, and shooting them was the kindest thing to do.”
At just 16, with swag in hand, Jade left year 11 at Clifton State High School for Emerald Agricultural college where she studied certificates three and four in beef production.
A courageous move for someone so young.
“School wasn’t really my thing but I wasn’t allowed to just leave so Mum made a deal with me that if I left I had to go to agricultural college,” she said
“And so I did. I always wanted to be a vet but couldn’t cope with the study.
“I think girls in particular should know that there is a place for them in agriculture, even without a university degree.”
During school Jade did her certificates one and two in agriculture back on the farm with dad.
“I’ve definitely seen more boys than girls in the industry but I haven’t found it hard to get by,” she said.
During her 12 months at Emerald, her partner Brad, a qualified diesel mechanic left his job at Bohemia station, Ralston and moved out there to be with her.
“In the two properties we’ve managed both have been family owned, back at Collinsville there were other station hands and we all paid out on each other – but nothing that made me feel like I shouldn’t be there,” she said.
Six months ago the pair moved from their home of four years at Castleview station to be closer to home.
“Even though we’re closer it’s still hard because we’re the only ones at Taroela,” she said.
“In the north we had 16,000ha but now we’re down to 7000ha, so it doesn’t warrant more people but it can get tough by ourselves.”
Though she admits that her friends will probably find more security in their office jobs “it’s the lifestyle, not the money we’re chasing”.
Eventually the pair hope to have their own block of land, running their own cattle.
“That’s the dream anyway,” she said.
“You know when there’s dry, that good times will eventually come, it all goes in cycles.
“If we could make it rain we’d all be rich.”
Story and image courtesy of the Rural Weekly.
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