Nigel Kerin speaking at the Wilmot Field Day , March 2024.
There have been plenty of lessons learned by Yeoval-district livestock producer Nigel Kerin, or as he would prefer to be called, a grass farmer. Breaking from the family partnership and striking out on his own with his wife Kate in 2007, they grabbed the opportunity to be objective, set goals and then put things into place that helped achieve those goals. Along the way, Nigel has made a determined and deliberate effort to continue his education and understanding of what makes a profitable business tick.
Originally Kerin Agriculture started as the Kerin Poll Merino stud, which was set up in 2009 with a left-of-centre goal. Nigel wanted to mimic the meat, growth and fertility traits seen in terminals and breed Merinos that were equal to them while maintaining the luxury of a wool cheque. The side hustle - to finish stock - was simply a means to harvest the opportunity created by climate variability and the extra feed that was sometimes available. Now it's a major profit driver of the business. He loves to tell people that he sells grass to the highest bidder, whether that is finishing a mob of Angus heifers, fattening lambs or increasing the size of his breeding flock.
Keeping an open mind means Nigel is always on the lookout for technology that will bring value to his business. That includes equipment like the Optiweigh, which gives real-time information on when cattle and sheep are going to hit target weights, which aids in the marketing of those animals. But Nigel is not into technology for the sake of it - it has to pay its way.
And while his passion is around breeding modern Merino sheep which offer high animal welfare traits like non-mulesing and good mothering but at the same time plenty of wool and meat, Nigel is equally as passionate about sharing his knowledge with others. He says his property is an open book and visitors are given the chance to see every aspect of his operation in a farm tour, and yes, even the books. It's this transparency, he says, that encourages others to share what they've learned. 'One of my favourite sayings is no one is as smart as all of us, and it's true,' Nigel says.
And Nigel is the first one to credit mentors he has had along the way that have helped him to continue to battle test decisions on a day-to-day basis. Nigel may be the figurehead of Kerin Agriculture but he's quick to defer to his team, including wife Kate, son Joe and daughter Georgia who each hold key roles in the operation as well as employees who are encouraged to take an active role in the business.
