Meat and Livestock Australia

24 Gates Goats CASE STUDY Producer: • Rick and Joanne Gates Property: • Burndoo Station, 65 km south of Wilcannia • Slamanon Station, 65 km south of Wilcannia • Woolahra Station, Ivanhoe Area: • Burndoo 25,639 ha • Slamanon 33,376 ha • Woolahra 7,656 ha Rainfall (avg/a): • 260 to 300 mm Enterprise: • Rangeland goat depot and growing out enterprise selling to abattoirs for export domestically to re-stockers Key messages • Quick stock turnover is critical to a profitable trading enterprise. • It is important to maintain the flexibility to adapt to markets and seasons. • Multi-wire plain and barbed wire fences provide an effective alternative to hinge- joint. Looking back Rick and Joanne operate one of Australia’s preeminent goat enterprises. Purchasing Burndoo in 1988, the Gates’ initially ran a Merino enterprise. However diminishing returns from wool and the pressures of drought during the 1990’s persuaded them to consider alternative enterprise options. With rangeland goats already present on Burndoo and across the broader region, they were an obvious choice. As the Gates began sourcing goats from other properties within the region, it became clear that opportunity existed for a business to trade goats on a quick turn-around basis, rather than necessarily becoming a breeding enterprise. ‘Gates Goats’ was then established as a goat depot in 1998 with the goal of having the capacity and efficiency to meet market demands while generating a consistent net income. In order to achieve this required good quality infrastructure to ensure goats could be retained and handled and good land condition maintained to provide feed for animals. In order to further expand the business, Woolahra was purchased in 2009 and has been run in the same capacity as Burndoo. As the goat industry continued to evolve, Gates Goats has adapted by increasing capacity, supplying goats to a range of markets and more recently branching into growing out of smaller goats. Despite the success and consistent growth of Gates Goats, Rick is quick to add that there’s no such thing as easy money.