The MacDougall’s own and operate Green Hills Herefords in the hills above Adelong in the south of NSW and entered into Beef Week for the first time in a number of years.

The stud was established in 1993 and previously run in the Riverina before moving to the foothills of the Snowy Mountains.

The commercial herd on-farm dates back to the 1950s.

Mr MacDougall said they had entered Beef Week before, however they had a break for a few years.

“We thought this year was a good year to get back into it as we have more bulls available and the season has improved remarkably,” he said.

“Beef Week is a good way for clients and potential clients to come to your property and look at the cattle without being obliged to buy.”

It also gave them the opportunity to not only see the bulls for sale, but the cow herd as well.

The MacDougall family breed Poll Herefords, as well as homozygous polled Herefords, which are dehorned.

The Green Hills commercial herd currently targets high-end weaners, as well as finishing steers on grass for slaughter and Mr MacDougall said it was the commercial results which drove the breeding criteria for the stud.

“Our commercial herd backs-up what we do,” he said.

To prove it, Mr MacDougall said they sold the top of the drop autumn weaners at the annual Wodonga sales in early January, while the remainder were grown out and sold over-the-hooks.

At the weaner sales this year, the MacDougalls offered 60 steers, which sold for an average of $800.

For Green Hills, Beef Week marked the start of the 2012 selling season, with bulls available for private sale.

This year, the stud will have 25 rising two-year-old bulls on offer, with some of the bulls sires including Allendale Vengeance, Green Hills Aberdeen, Standford Woodstock and Smithston Zimbabwe.

With both an autumn and spring calving carried out at Green Hills, there are two different age groups of bulls.