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In this special Gen Angus Leadership Program episode of The Angus Table, host Scott Wright sits down with James Knight, operator of Sisters Pastoral Company, for a comprehensive conversation about his transformational journey from a Melbourne corporate career to successful commercial Angus cattle operator. James shares insights from his childhood agricultural passion through jackarooing on a gap year, University of New England studies, and a corporate careers with great mentorship.
After a mental health crisis and recovery, he transitioned back to the family farm with wife Georgie in 2016, scaling from 800 to 1,450-1,500 females over 2,200 hectares producing 1,200 weaners annually. His spring calving feeder system replaced unsustainable autumn calving through rotational grazing and technology adoption.
James shares how he balances phenotype expertise with EBV focus when purchasing bulls, maintaining stable partnerships with buyers and suppliers, and how his 2.5 FTE team operates on benchmarking and data-driven decisions while staying relationship-focused. Scott and James also discuss the recent animal welfare crisis that revealed the Angus community's extraordinary support and crucial help during his darkest time.
So pull up a chair at the Angus Table for insights on scaling commercial beef operations through data-driven strategy, technology adoption, and the irreplaceable strength of community support when it matters most.
Key topics covered:
- James' childhood agricultural passion sparked by uncle's Deniliquin farm and a gap year jackarooing
- How his corporate career provided operational experience and learning from CEO Adrian Goonan that became the foundation for his farm transition.
- The mental health crisis requiring help and recovery, establishing James’ resilience and reach-out approach characterising his community philosophy
- Business scaling from 800 females/1,100ha (2016) to 1,450-1,500 females over 2,200ha producing 1,200 weaners annually through strategic planning and benchmarking
- Spring calving feeder system shift eliminating unsustainable hay feeding by rotating steers through paddocks achieving 1.5kg/day by September, 2kg/day peak October/November
- The data-driven and ROI-focused decision making process James uses for technology adoption
- James’ bull purchasing strategy, balancing phenotype expertise from father-in-law Bruce with EBV analysis using Angus Tech spreadsheets and feedlot trial validation for carcass/growth.
- Partnership-focused approach maintaining stable relationships with buyers, suppliers, financiers, and team
- Recent animal welfare crisis revealing community strength and the generosity of the Angus community
- Forward breed strategy on carcass traits (EMA, IMF, mature body composition), questioning seed stock/commercial alignment, urging balance on birth weight/gestation coupling affecting calving mortality
Contact details:
This podcast is proudly brought to you by Angus Australia https://www.angusaustralia.com.au/
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CREDITS:
Host: Scott Wright, CEO. Get in touch via email ceo@angusaustralia.com.au
Producer: Mel Strasburg mel.strasburg@angusaustralia.com.au
Audio editing and post-production: Ellen Ronalds Keene at https://perkdigital.com.au
