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Farm & Ranch

The Drover – 18,000 Cattle, Nine Months and 1,600 Miles

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By Jessica Crabtree

Imagine if you will, being in the saddle, atop a horse, behind cattle, in the dust and heat for nine months. That’s 39 weeks, 273 days and 6,570 hours. That is just the logistics behind the Brinkworth Cattle Drove of 2013 that took place from Winton, Queensland to Hay, New South Wales, in Australia, traveling various stock routes. Between Queensland and New South Wales are 3.2 million hectares (7,907,372 acres) of stock routes.

It is an authorized thoroughfare for farmers to walk domestic livestock from one location to another. Most commonly the stock route is known as “The Long Paddock.” A huge undertaking, the drovers navigated the stock routes through advisement from the local shire council on which were passable, had good grazing and were with or without water. Permits were written weekly to the “mobs” or herds so that they could keep traveling. The stock routes were put in place years before roads were made and trucks were used to haul cattle. When made, the water was put in place every six miles or so. Modernization proved the demise of the routes.

Australian farmer and agriculture tycoon Tom Brinkworth purchased 18,000 head of cattle in 2013 in the midst of a staggering drought. That totaled $8 million. This was the largest transaction ever in the world from a seller to a buyer in cattle. Brinkworth was challenged with moving his cattle more than 1,600 miles to his station, also known as his ranch. When adding up the cost of freight to truck the massive amount of cattle, it was nearly the same amount of money to simply walk the cattle down. The purchased cattle were eight months to two-year-old breeding heifers. Their breeding was a mix of Brahman crosses, short horn crosses and Santa Gertrudis.

To read more of “The Drover” pick up a copy of the 2017 June NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.

(Photos by Alice Mabin)

Alice Mabin, photogrpagher and publisher of “The Drover.”
(Photo courtesy of Alice Mabin)

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Farm & Ranch

Ag Elsewhere: Wyoming

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By Tressa Lawrence

Despite some blue skies, March can still bring sub-zero temperatures to Wyoming as calves hit the ground.

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Farm & Ranch

Ag Elsewhere: Montana

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By Lindsey Monk

Welding on some corrals before dark. It’s been a mild winter in Montana so far, knock on wood.

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Farm & Ranch

Land Market Report: January Land Sales

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By Jared Groce

The rural land market in North Texas has had a fairly stale start to the year, with the number of transactions closed being minimal so far. There has been an increase in call volume from buyers, and some are turning into contracts, but I feel like we are still a little slower than we usually are at this time of the year. The “experts” are expecting fewer transactions in 2024 as compared to 2023, and they may be correct, because election years always seem to be slower. Once the election is over, and regardless of who wins, things seem to pick up once again. It is a strange phenomena that just seems to happen every four years.

With the amount of growth that we are currently experiencing here, I do not expect things to get any cheaper. More people means more houses, and they have to have land to build those houses on.

To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.

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