Growing stud enterprise from the ground up

Hayden and Jasmine Green run a thriving Limousins, Angus and Simmental cattle enterprise in southern NSW. This is how they do it.

Gaining a foothold in the beef cattle industry started at school for Hayden Green from southern NSW.

Mr Green and his wife, Jasmine, run Limousins, Angus and Simmental cattle under the banner of Summit Livestock at Uranquinty and Crookwell.

While Mr Green says he’s a “first-generation cattle breeder”, Mrs Green is the sixth generation of her family to work in the beef sector.

Mr Green was involved in the cattle showing program at Hurlstone Agricultural High School. Mrs Green also showed cattle at school.

“I started very small, from a breeding standpoint,” Mr Green said. “I started with one cow.”

Now the couple runs more than 600 breeders across several properties in NSW.

They are preparing to show and sell cattle from their Summit Limousin Stud at the Royal Canberra Show from February 24 to 26.

The All Breeds Royal Canberra Sale will be run by H Francis and Co and interfaced with AuctionsPlus.

The sale starts at 8am on February 23.

They will take eight cattle to Canberra Royal Show representing three breeds.

Mr Green said multi-vendor sales, like the one at Canberra, were significant in merchandising the cattle shown.

Hayden and Jasmine Green, with son Arthur, 2, from Uranquinty and their Limousin bull Summit Ranch Hand. Picture: Nikki Reynolds

“Showing cattle is very expensive. So if you can sell bulls along the way, that is very helpful,” he said.

“We have started off very small, and it’s important to have these multi-vendor sales to be a part of.”

Mr Green said that based on the current cattle market, there would likely be a ‘check’ in seedstock prices too.

“I think we are coming off one of the best bull sale selling seasons ever, “he said.

“I think the confidence in the industry is (still) high) but it might not reach the dizzying heights of last year.”

In addition to running their own stud operation, Mr and Mrs Green are interested in helping the next generation.

Limousin heifers at Summit Limousin Stud, Uranquinty, in southern NSW. Picture: Nikki Reynolds

When they were growing up, Mr and Mrs Green were involved in Angus, Hereford, Limousin and Shorthorn youth programs.

“Those youth programs are unbelievable for developing people and their skills,” he said.

So now the tables have turned, and they donate cattle to schools for show teams.

They also help prepare animals for junior heifer shows.

“We do everything we can to try and get more youth involved,” he said.

“I think it is really evident when you go through industry and see people in influential positions … a lot of them may not have had agricultural backgrounds but went through a school program or a youth program.”