Dexter Cattle Group of Victoria to step out at Seymour Alternative Farm Expo

WHEN John and Jenny Hince left Ferntree Gully in 1990 for a block near Kyneton, their plan was to breed birds.

Donny brook Dexters - Seymour Expo

WHEN John and Jenny Hince left Ferntree Gully in 1990 for their 2.8ha block near Kyneton, their plan was to fill the sheds and paddocks with birds.

Breeders of Australian parrots and finches, the couple wanted to expand their operations and carted 200 birds with them during the move.

However, as Jenny puts it, their plans took an unexpected turn.

"We moved here to build seven acres of aviaries, but also needed something to eat the grass," she said.

"We read in The Weekly Times that Dexters were going on display at the Melbourne Show as the first purebreds to be imported into Victoria. We saw them and it went from there."

In the years since, the Hinces have established the Donnybrook Dexter stud as a successful supplier of registered and commercial bulls, females and steers.

They have also taken an active role in promoting the breed as original committee members of the Dexter Cattle Group of Victoria, a regular exhibitor at the Seymour Expo.

Dexters - also called Kerrys in some countries - are descended from the black cattle of the Celts and were established as a distinct breed in Ireland in the mid-1700s.

They are the smallest naturally occurring British breed, though the two types - "short-legged" and "long-legged" - mean height measurements can vary.

Valued for meat and milk, Dexters are ideal for farmlets.

According to the Department of Environment and Primary Industries, there are about 700 registered breeders in Australia (114 in Victoria) and 9000 registered animals (almost 3000 purebred).

Dexter Cattle Australia Inc (Victoria) has 79 registered breeders in its membership.

Dexters are usually black, with red or dun less common, and traditionally a horned breed.

John and Jenny Hince are now retired, after careers in advertising in Melbourne, and John spending 14 subsequent years with Castle Bacon in Castlemaine.

They run about 24 Dexters on an 8ha block nearby, supplementing their feed with hay, Prime Calf and lucerne and oaten chaff.

Their artificially inseminated cows are due to calve in March-April, as their low-lying black pug properties can get too boggy for spring calving.

The Hinces have enjoyed show success in Bendigo, Kyneton, Whittlesea and Melbourne, as well as at their annual Victorian breed show at Geelong.

They often sell former show animals to small acreage owners, but have also sold over the hooks to Hardwicks Abattoir.

In the 1990s, the couple were founding members of a promotional group for Dexters in the Central Highlands and kept that going until it amalgamated with two other groups.

"Nowadays, we'd probably have 80 financial members with a committee of eight, organising regular meetings, field days and workshops," John said.

"As a group, we started with Seymour when it first began, but went away for a few years and took cattle to Farm World and Elmore.

"We came back to Seymour, though, because it's designed so well for the small acreage farmer.

"Each year, one stud supplies cattle and a roster operates for other breeders who are available to help.

"A week or two after Seymour, group members often hold an open weekend so that any people interested can visit a breeder in their own area.

"They might not buy anything, but a couple of years later you can get a phone call saying they're ready to come and have another look."