Oxton Park success owed to a wide range of factors
Progressive management and adaptability have helped Oxton Park expand to produce prime lambs, more than 40,000 Merinos and impressive crops profits.
Adaptability has been at the centre of Oxton Park’s success for more than 100 years.
The O’Connor family’s mixed cropping, wool and prime lamb enterprise spans 8000ha across 18 properties, between Harden and Young on the NSW Southern Tablelands.
Jack O’Connor is the fourth generation to farm at Oxton Park, which was established by his great grandfather, Patrick O’Connor, in 1920.
Patrick added to the property over the years, and Jack’s grandfather, Justin, and his great-uncle, Kevin, continued the legacy, buying farms in their tenure from the 1950s to 1970s.
Grateful to the generations before him, Jack pays credit to his forbearers for the foundations they set.
“They’ve always shifted with how they felt the market was going, in combination with what they can do best,” Jack said.
“It’s an important fact that we’ve played to our strengths. We have the benefit of scale and rather than 10 little things, we choose to do three to four things on a bigger scale.
“We’re very open as a business, and extremely open to changing our enterprise mix.
“You have to do due diligence and we’re very fortunate as the next generation that the ones before us didn’t jump at fads.”
Livestock and cropping form an even split of the Oxton Park enterprise. The O’Connors run upwards of 40,000 dual-purpose Merinos. The decision was made in the late 1990s to transition from cattle into meat sheep.
“They used to run 1000 Angus and Hereford cattle,” Jack said.
“In the late 90s they hit a dry patch, and with the high cost of feed and variability in that enterprise, they decided to join a portion of their flock to a Dorset ram.
“It would have been a tough decision to liquidate cattle to grow the sheep enterprise.
“But with the increase in demand for meat sheep and Aussie lamb, and going into a dry spell, cattle can be expensive to run and particularly in those tough times. Since then, we haven’t looked back.”
Ewes are joined from the end of January through the first week February.
“It used to be Valentine’s Day for a number of years; it was a good way to remember to put the rams out and pick up a bunch of flowers for our wives,” Jack said.
Paul O’Connor and Brad Cavanagh head up the genetics side of the business and place emphasis on introducing a solid genetic base from a number of stud flocks, over the main Bundilla Poll Merino bloodline.
Sheep classer Chris Bowman is instrumental in Oxton Park’s livestock business.
“We’re about making connections with the best in the business, getting in like-minded people who can help move the business forward. We don’t sit back and say we do it all ourselves,” Jack said.
“Chris is helping us improve points across the board. You hear dual-purpose a lot in industry, but we’re driving those traits — a balance of wool cut and muscle growth in the animals — which is filtering down through crossbred and purebred.
“Back in the day everyone focused on wool cut, so it was a big transition. But once we introduced the Poll Dorsets, we had good hard data on eye muscle and corresponding results from those figures.”
Jack said plain-bodied, dual-purpose Merino ewes ticked the boxes for both Oxton Park’s prime lamb and wool enterprises.
MULESING MOVE
Oxton Park has been non-mulesed for more than 10 years.
“It was a massive decision made by my father and Paul. It’s had its challenging times for sure,” Jack said.
Jack said they had seen the market premiums as consumer awareness grew.
“There’s no silver bullet — it’s a delicate thing in the industry — there’s no right way,” he said.
“I think, particularly for us in our line of work, everyone needs to be open-minded about how they run their practices. It’s the at top of the list for our business because we see the snowball effect down the line. We place high importance on selecting genetic traits as well as paying attention to animals at weaning, and all the way through.”
Electronic identification was introduced five years ago.
While EID is voluntary in NSW, Jack said it has been invaluable for management at Oxton Park.
“We’ve seen the power in the information once it’s collected and how it can be used,” he said.
“With fly resistance growing in our area and being non-mulesed, we pay close attention to resistance. Having the ability to do that with the data and being able to select on possible improvements in genetic lines going forward in terms of resistance to fly, is a massive one for us, as I’m sure it is for everyone in the region.”
EID has been gradually introduced, initially through artificially inseminated progeny before the decision was made to expand to the entire breeding base of ewe lambs each year.
“It was a business decision to spread the cost over time, as the EID tags are three to four times the cost of a plastic tag,” Jack said.
CLASS ACTION
With a 17,000-strong breeding base, about 30 per cent are classed out and joined to a Poll Dorset ram for prime lamb production.
“But it’s information we didn’t have, and we can accurately use that information, so that’s the balance. We can use the numbers in front of us,” Jack said.
“But we’re not just going off numbers, it’s a combination of visual in partnership with numbers to back it up and vice versa.”
The aim is to have lambs on the ground in July. Marking starts mid-August with crossbreds followed by the Merino portion.
Lamb marking is managed in house, with shearing and crutching the only contracted work.
The main shearing is in March, with smaller shearings in May and November. Wool averages 18-micron and fleece weight averages between 5.5kg and 6kg.
“We have a great relationship with Elders that assist us in the marketing of our wool, with a large portion going to auction,” Jack said.
The O’Connors also have direct contracts in place with other companies, both domestic and international.
Oxton Park turns off 12,000 lambs a year in mid-December, with half crossbreds and the remainder Merino wethers.
Grazing crops are sown each February on which wether lambs are usually fattened.
“We try to sow grazing canola and some cereals … but we hit a dry patch in January through to March and couldn’t do so this year.
“It’s an opportunity for our business to make a dual income on the crop. Because we sow the grazing crop in February, we get some grazing time out of it before we lock it up in August to harvest in November-December.
“Not being able to do that this year has been a juggling act with our pastures, which we’d usually try and spell and rotate the lambs around.”
TREE PROTECTION
Pasture improvement has been prioritised over the past decade, with most pastures now boosted with perennial mixes.
Each year there is serious discussion about where to focus attention and investment.
“We improve the paddocks when we can and plant a number of trees in plantations each year — around 1000 trees — when the season permits.
“From an agronomic point of view, and being mixed enterprise, we look at paddocks that might be open and bare to improve paddocks for sheep survival,” Jack said.
“That includes wind breaks and trees on fence lines, where we might have had losses in the past.
“One side of Oxton Park is more non-arable, with undulating granite hills where we find far greater ewe and lamb survival.”
Lambs are usually marketed to Coles and Woolworths, processed in Gundagai and Junee or though JBS in Melbourne.
About 1800ha is sown to winter crop between April and May each year to an even split of wheat and canola, and a portion to triticale. Canola yields average two tonnes/ha and wheat five tonnes/ha.
Rainfall averages about 625mm annually.
“Soil type doesn’t vary too dramatically. It’s a loamy soil which we’re fortunate to have. Some parts are sandy and more acidic,” Jack said. “The variability allows us to focus on triticale, which grows in those soil types. We’re fortunate that it’s a large area, and quite central.”
WEED CONTROL
An integrated weed management plan is in place to manage problem weeds that come with the high rainfall.
“Resistant ryegrass is a massive issue in our region. Paddocks are on rotation and are strictly wheat then canola. They will stay in rotation for five to six years before going back into pasture,” Jack said.
Chopped lucerne silage is buried in pits that are spread sporadically across the farm.
“Silage starts in October. The paddocks we’ve nominated for silage are locked up and we make silage ourselves, then feed stock in summer months as well as grain. It enables us to look after animals and at the same time look after pastures,” Jack said.
“Some years crops might not make the benchmark, so we can make that decision in September or October.”
By having a buffer, Jack said it was insurance “if the season turns so that we don’t get backed into a corner”.
He said the most recent harvest was successful, albeit drawn out, with the job going into mid- January.
“In good years, we start harvest the last week of November and then we’re looking at a three to four week period, without weather events disrupting it,” Jack said.
Grain is marketed through GrainCorp as well as some private contracts for other grade types.
CARBON QUEST
Looking forward, the O’Connors’ are working towards becoming carbon neutral as a business.
They are investing in carbon measurement, and are in early stages of agrivoltaics, creating future opportunities.
“Fortunately where we are, we have options. I go to sleep at night thinking how lucky we are,” Jack said.
“We’re looking at baseline carbon to give us an idea of where we’re sitting. We’re at measurement phase at the moment.
“We’ve implemented variable rate technology across fertiliser and chemical application in cropping and pasture as well. Having the technology means we’re able to see which areas may be under supplied and not use big brushstrokes.
“It’s reducing cost, which is also a driver. When farmers invest in variable rate technology, down the line they save money; but on the other side of the coin, we’re looking after the land as best we can, that’s our livelihood, we live and breathe it.”
Investment in drought lots has improved feed management during dry periods
“Coming into dry periods we can feed sheep in confinement and stay on top of nutritional requirements at the same time,” Jack said.
“Being able to stay on top of pastures, which are our main resource, and protect that all costs is very important.”
FAMILY TIES
A strong team and family culture is the backbone of Oxton Park.
With 14 permanent staff at Oxton Park, Jack said staff were their most important asset “by a country mile”.
“We’re so lucky to have a great team and culture. We want to focus on having a strong culture and family business. That’s what we want to move forward; be fluid but firm,” he said.
“We hold monthly toolbox meetings which is an avenue for employees to make suggestions and have a voice. Farming is a seven day a week beast. You have to make time to stop.”
“And we’re very fortunate the generation above put emphasis on succession, which started about 15 years ago.
Jack’s grandmother Monica, is the matriarch of the O’Connor family.
“Monica is very spritely at her 85 years and she still plays likes she’s 21. She’s very much the rock that holds us all to account,” Jack said.
O’Connor brothers John, Paul and Peter, along with their cousin Pat sit as directors of Oxton Park and each manage different areas of the business. The next generation, including Jack and his cousins Max, Luke, Jess and her husband Brad, step into varying roles in the business.
“Having a large family, it’s rare that we’ve been able to keep a business together as one farm and everyone is still close.
“I’m not saying there weren’t hard conversations. But there’s lots of respect among my Dad and uncles and the staff.
“I give credit to them that they keep a healthy level of respect.”
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