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Farming is nothing if not a game of margins.
Being successful comes down to managing those margins, being able to seize even the smallest of opportunities, and finding the best way to optimise production.
For New South Wales grazier Mel Reddie, one of the tools she utilises to achieve this is the buy now, pay later service DelayPay.
Operating across 4,250 acres in the Gilgandra district, Ms Reddie runs a commercial and stud Speckle Park herd, and was one of the region’s many producers who were severely impacted by drought.
It was during this time that Ms Reddie first used DelayPay, to feed the herd she was determined to maintain.
“When I first applied, the state was in the grips of drought and DelayPay approved finance that gave me the opportunity to keep moving forward,” Ms Reddie said.
Not only could Ms Reddie feed her herd, but DelayPay enabled the establishment of her stud, Spot On Speckle Park.
“One of the first purchases I made using DelayPay was embryos,” Ms Reddie said.
“Having that opportunity to secure those genetics without having more animals to feed meant I was able to establish a stud herd a lot quicker once my properties came out of drought.”
Five years on, Ms Reddie has built her herd from five stud breeders and 250 commercial cows, to a herd of 100 stud cows with calves at foot and 320 commercial breeders.
Another ‘opportunity buy’, made with the help of DelayPay, has also paid dividends.
“I purchased commercial cows which had had their first calf weaned and hadn’t been back with the bull, and used them in my stud breeding program as recipient cows,” Ms Reddie said.
“I now use my commercial herd a lot as recipient cows, and last year I implanted 140 embryos.
“I’ve also had plenty of enquiries from other stud producers wanting me to run their recipient programs and have been able to establish a client base.”
Growing her business has been no easy feat, particularly through years of drought and the rough seasonal conditions of late, but Ms Reddie said using DelayPay to capitalise on opportunities has been a seamless process and it’s one she would recommend to other producers.
“For me, in terms of stud breeders, I’ve been able to seize the opportunity to buy and they’ve already had calves and are back in calf again, so I’m a lot further along than I would’ve been if I’d held off,” Ms Reddie said.
This article is sponsored content from DelayPay.
