City businessman turned Merino breeder celebrates 10 years at Collinsville

WHEN successful Adelaide businessman George Millington and his family became the new owners of the iconic Collinsville stud some in the sheep industry were wondering what direction he would take it.

But a decade on, the latest custodian of the 135-year-old stud has proven himself and succeeded in boosting Collinsville's genetic influence on the national Merino flock.

George and the team have reinstated an annual on-property sale after years of private sales by the previous owners the Handbury family.

It has become one of Australia's largest annual auctions with 600 Merino and Poll Merinos offered under the hammer on one day.

Collinsville has also made plenty of headlines in their return to the show ring in the past few years.

George's success as Collinsville stud principal is even more impressive when you consider he is a first-generation farmer who grew up in Adelaide.

His interest in ag was sparked through visiting relatives on their farms.

After a stint as a stockbroker, George decided to start his coffee importing and roasting business, Monjava which he sold in 2007 to pasta maker San Remo.

His next business venture was logistics, APD Parcel Delivery, of which he is still a majority shareholder.

The success of these businesses has enabled George and his wife Sophie and their two young children Rupert and Alice to get their start in agriculture.

In 2010 they bought Cappeedee at Hallett. Their vision was to again have it become home to a high-profile Merino stud.

Four years later their chance came with the purchase of Collinsville and 7000 sheep, as well as the original station, east of Burra which comprises 56,000 hectares.

"It was such an iconic brand with such a great history and great livestock with genetics that needed to be exposed again," George said.

George acknowledges their Collinsville chapter would not have been possible without the Handburys continuing it for 25 years through some of the wool industry's darkest years.

"They were extremely good to deal with when they sold the business to me and they were very keen to see a young person take it on who wanted to be successful and wasn't going to break it up so I am appreciative to them," he said.

With the Collinsville stud moving to Cappeedee, the Millingtons embarked on significant infrastructure projects, including a new sales complex, shearing shed and an extensive network of laneways.

"It was really important to us to keep the Collinsville sheep in the Mid North and up at Hallett where it can be tough conditions," he said.

"If it is going to snow anywhere in SA it snows on our place at Hallett and we have some hot, dry summers so we are able to test the genetics to ensure they can perform."

Under the Millingtons' ownership, Cappeedee has grown from 1900 hectares to nearly 5900ha with the strategic purchase of a balance of native hills grazing country and cropping land.

The purchase of 6000-acre Kadlunga at Mintaro in 2018 added a higher rainfall property and chance to spread their climatic risk, as well as more cropping area.

"What I found out in 2018 -19 when we went through a really dry period here in the Mid North is we are not like commercial breeders," he said.

"With a stud you are locked into your breeding numbers, you can only go so low because you have to be able to produce rams in 18 months time."

Kadlunga's annual rainfall is 500mm - 100mm more than Cappeedee and much greater than 220mm at the station.

One of the things George is most proud of in his Collinsville journey is the successful team he has been able to build around him, from general manager Tim Dalla -who is a driving force with the stud- to Collinsville station manager Rory Catlin and Norton Warnest who has been managing Kadlunga for the past year.

Also integral to the team are stud consultants Michael Elmes and Tony Brooks.

"Everyone who works in the business is very passionate about what we are trying to do," George said.

"We like to provide pathways for our staff and when our people move on or retire our preference is to promote from within."

He says one of the business lessons he has learned is running the enterprise mix that best suits your land is likely to be the most profitable.

"At Mintaro we crop what we can and run sheep on the rest, at Hallett we run sheep and crop what we have to and on the station, we are only running Merinos because I believe that is the most profitable option on pastoral country in southern Australia," he said.

Tim- who joined Collinsville as a young studmaster in 2008- credits their success to continued improvements in breeding for a range of production traits, as well as a strong relationship with Elders.

This has helped them grow their clientele at a time when many other studs are selling fewer rams.

Two years ago including paddock sales Collinsville sold 2200 rams- a huge jump on a decade earlier. Even in this challenging season, they have sold 1800 rams.

"George and I both have a shared vision for Collinsville and are both very competitive and want to see Collinsville at number one," Tim said.

"Our family is very proud to be part of such a prominent family-owned business and receive such fantastic support from George and Sophie.

"With the poor seasons and commodity prices, it is not easy running a sheep business but things will turn around again."

Although they have exhibited many champions in the past few years, including having a stronghold over the SA Ram of the Year at Elders SA Merino Expo at Burra, both George and Tim will long remember this year.

Collinsville is believed to be the first Merino stud in the country to win the highest accolades in major sheep shows in three states all in the same year.

Cruden 1227 was unbeaten for the season with titles including supreme exhibit at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo, Vic and Royal Adelaide Show as well as the Australian Supreme Ram of the Year in Dubbo, NSW, as a member of the winning National Pairs. It all began with a win at the Burra Expo in February.

His March-shorn stablemate- Lustre 565 also had plenty of success including the Riverina Wool Australian Hogget of the Year at Hay, NSW, and March-shorn grand champion ram at Bendigo and Adelaide, plus the inaugural National March shorn champion.

Both rams were retained in the stud and used in the latest AI and ET program.

"Showing is an important way for us to benchmark ourselves against other studs so it has been very humbling to have so many different judges recognise the contribution our genetics can make, you have to have a little bit of luck along the way too," Tim said.

In the future, George says they will remain "razor-focused" on ensuring their clients are breeding the most profitable sheep.

"Sheep farmers get paid on the weight of wool and the weight of their lambs and the weight of their surplus sheep so we need to keep offering genetics that can do this," he said.

WOOL PRICES 'NOT ENOUGH' TO GROWERS

When Collinsville stud principal George Millington was elected to the Australian Wool Innovation board late last year his major goal was trying to get industry stakeholders to work collaboratively with each other.

"As an outsider I noticed a lot of internal division within the industry so I wanted to get on AWI to bring exporters, farmers, brokers and industry groups together for one common goal," he said.

"We are all trying to sell this wonderful fibre that is natural, renewable, a real fibre of the ages."

Mr Millington says woolgrowers can be assured AWI is doing the best job they can with the limited funds they are given to promote wool.

"I have been amazed by the passion and professionalism of the staff that work in AWI's overseas offices and the last couple of marketing campaigns," he said.

"Having said that the price growers are receiving for their wool is not enough and it is a priority for us to discuss with further stage processors that if they want to buy wool they need to pay more for it."