Tim Haines is a fourth generation dryland and irrigation cropping farmer, but in 2015 took a chance to try something new on the family farm in Deniliquin.
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Tim established a Boer goat stud at the Deniliquin property, and shared his time between the stud and his home in Albury. And while it has been a successful introduction to goat farming, Tim said it has been very difficult in the past couple years just because of increasing work and footy commitments in Albury.
While the demand for Boers increased in 2020, he will shelve his plans for the stud at the end of this year and wait until there are less time restraints before starting again.
‘‘I wanted to give something new a go and took a keen interest in livestock farming,’’ he said.
‘‘At its peak it was running anywhere between 60 and 80 Boer goats producing close to 140 kids a year.
‘‘I was exporting overseas and selling some to local farmers and others to local abattoirs.
‘‘Although I really enjoyed the genetic side of the breeding, I wanted to try and see whether it had the potential to outcompete sheep or cropping and I thought having a stud would be the only way as you can produce a higher valued animal for not much more management.
‘‘In the last 12 months it’s become too difficult to run both the stud and work in Albury. I’ve had to sell the goats off and only have five bucks left to sell.
‘‘The export market has suffered since COVID, but I will continue looking for land near Albury and hopefully, one day, I can start a Boer stud again.
Tim forged a love of the agriculture industry growing up working on the family farm on weekends and school holidays. After graduating from Deniliquin High School, Tim got work with a shearing contractor. Two years later he embarked on a degree in business agriculture management with Charles Sturt University in Wagga, studying part time so he could continue shearing to earn an income. It was during this time that Tim decided he wanted to expand his knowledge base.
‘‘During my time shearing in Wagga, I really enjoyed it, it was a really good environment similar to the shearing team in Deniliquin.
‘‘All the shearing team had ambitions to own their own farm or diversify in the ag industry.
‘‘It helped me stay focused on my goals and, in September 2017, I bought a block near The Rock. I have been leasing it out to my brother since January 2018.’’
When he’s not working on his own farming enterprises, Tim is a farm management consultant for Farmanco.
‘‘I really enjoy working as a consultant,’’ he said.
‘‘It has been a tough couple of years for farmers around the district and fingers crossed everyone can capitalise on the good season so far.”
‘‘It’s been an eye opener; in my position I am lucky to work with some very good farmers and I get to help them make the best decisions for the business going forward”
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