THE Routley family of Urana in southern NSW has an enthusiasm for agriculture that runs deep.
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In fact – it runs four generations deep – with the family settling at the property in 1911.
Through droughts and floods and market highs and lows the family has forged ahead to make the business as successful and resilient as possible.
Success is built on solid family relationships which see the generations working together to adopt change and stay atop of what is a competitive and evolving industry.
It is a case of combining tradition with new technology to achieve the best outcomes.
The 2300-hectare Riverina property features winter crops, livestock and stud sheep.
In 1965 Peter Routley formed the Almondvale Bond Stud. Now in 2016 Almondvale is home to a Poll Merino and White Suffolk stud. And Mr Routley’s son Paul is president of the Australian Bond Sheep Breeders Association and is NSW president of the White Suffolk Breeders Group.
ADVANTAGES: “What we love about our industry is the lifestyle,” Paul Routley said. Mr Routley and his wife Dalles also enjoy the challenge and sense of achievement afforded to them by the developments in the stud sheep industry.
“We will travel tens of thousands of kilometres to seek the right genetics,” Mr Routley said. He said the advances in measurement and technology for the stud industry was encouraging.
Last year the Routley family was rewarded for their efforts by receiving a nomination in the coveted ABC Rural and the Kondinin Group Farmer of the Year Awards in the livestock category. At the time Mr Routley said to be recognised in the top three in Australia was extremely rewarding and humbling.
CHALLENGES: “We had a dry start to the year and then an extremely wet winter and spring which has caused some logistical problems … but that said it was one of the best springs you could ever hope for,” he said.
“We can’t be negative about the wet year because we have had too many droughts and when it dries out there is the prospect of an excellent harvest, yield wise,” he said. However, Mr Routley conceded some of the commodity prices for winter crops had softened somewhat.
THE FUTURE: “I am super optimistic about the future, I am passionate about what we do and there is such a huge opening for the younger generation to get into agriculture,” Mr Routley said. Mr and Mrs Routley have three children, Lachlan, 10, Grace, 8, and Ruby, 6. The three children can regularly be found helping out in the sheep yards or watching on during the Almondvale on-property sales. “Without a doubt they are all interested in agriculture,” Mr Routley said.
