Size isn’t everything . . .
Host: Goldsborough Station
Written by Emma Taylor – Manager, Goldsborough Station.
Hello from “Goldsborough” outside of Roma in Queensland. My name is Emma Taylor and together with my husband Stewart, it is great to be able to share with you some stories about life in our part of the world. Goldsborough is hardly the outback (or Outbackistan as I heard it called recently) but like most others on Central Station our lives revolve around cattle, grass, and the seasonal variations of the climate.
Goldsborough is 11,000ha of productive Brigalow Belah country 50km from Roma. The station is owned by the North Australian Pastoral Company (NAP Co) and primarily plays the role of backgrounding cattle for the Wainui Feedlot outside of Dalby. On average, the property turns off about 7000 head annually from grass and oats. The role of a backgrounding property is to start to sort out cattle according to market specifications. The cattle are drafted according to weight and other specifications into mobs that will be suitable to supply to the feedlot and then to meet the target market. This step of sorting out cattle prior to feeding at a feedlot is important to ensure consistency of quality and also to minimise illness when the cattle go to the feedlot. When the cattle are used to being in the one mob at a backgrounding property they are more settled and healthy when they go to the feedlot.
Typical developed grazing country on Goldsborough in the current season.
Country and cattle in a good summer season.
Goldsborough is an aggregation of five once individual family owned grazing properties. It is home to our little family – Holly (age five) and Harry (age three) and Trent Jackson. Trent lives 20km from us in one of the houses and largely fends for himself! We usually have another staff member but currently it is down to two. Stewart is keen on running a cost effective and efficient business so has used infrastructure and technology to minimise the need for staff.
Celebrating Dad’s birthday with cake at the cattle yards.
Trent Jackson after a day dehorning weaners.
Living in the ‘burbs means we have bitumen to the front mailbox and a school bus that stops at the front gate. The access to town has been ideal for me as I worked off the property until Holly was born in 2009. I have worked as a facilitator of various groups in my time with the Department of Primary Industries, Landcare, and Carers Queensland. At the moment I am co-ordinating Soul Mama, which I will share more about later.