Former Herefords Australia chair Bill Kee calls time on his breeding career

A veteran stud principal and former chair of Herefords Australia has announced his retirement from the industry, effective immediately.

Gippsland-based Warringa Herefords stud principal Bill Kee revealed during Stock & Land Beef Week he would exit the cattle breeding game within days.

Mr Kee, 72, served as chair of Herefords Australia between May 2017 and May 2020 and started the stud in 1987.

"As of midday today, that will be the end of Warringa Herefords," he said on Tuesday.

"It's one of those things that I knew was going to come at some stage, but I didn't think it was going to come so early.

"I guess it gives us a chance to get on with our life, but I still feel there is a lot of unfinished business."

Mr Kee established the stud with his wife Minnie at Yarram while he was working in the legal profession.

The stud was later relocated to Wandana at Sarsfield, a property owned by fellow Hereford breeder Gary McAinch who owns Mundook Herefords, when the Kees moved from Yarram to Metung in East Gippsland in 2018.

Mr Kee said he was informed by Mr McAinch that the 80-hectare property overlooking the Nicholson River would be put on the market within the next six months.

Mr Kee said he felt it was a "sign to bow out" of the industry.

"Minnie and I have enjoyed what we've done over that time," he said.

"It's been a great journey for 38 years."

Mr Kee was part of a group of five Hereford studs in Gippsland which sold bulls under the Gippsland Performance Herefords banner sale each spring.

He recently sold 25 breeding females, including 18 pregnant females and seven yearling heifers, to the Trovatello family-owned Glenden Park Hereford stud at Barfold.

Eleven Warringa stud bulls have also been sold via private treaty in recent days.

The stud was initially founded as a horned cattle operation but moved to producing polled cattle eight years ago.

Mr Kee purchased his own legal practice in Yarram in 1980 after working as a clerk of courts in the town for 12 years.

During his time as a solicitor, he and Mrs Kee purchased a 36-hectare property at Yarram, which included a herd of Angus, Hereford, Shorthorn, Charolais and Brown Swiss steers.

Shortly after the purchase, the region experienced an autumn drought, and the decision was made to sell the three latter breeds and retain only the Angus and Herefords.

"We started feeding them, and our experience with that was that the Herefords were very quiet and docile, and the Angus weren't," Mr Kee said.

"Because I had a day-time job and Minnie was the one feeding the cattle, when we decided we were going to breed cattle we decided on Herefords purely and simply because of docility and quietness."

For the last eight years, Warringa has run a female-only herd with cows and heifers artificially inseminated on June 1.

Mr Kee decided to disperse the bull portion of his herd after a conversation with a geneticist while he was a director at Herefords Australia.

"They asked me, 'why wouldn't you go just solely AI so you can source the best genetics from across Australia and throughout the world?' and I thought it was a great suggestion," he said.

"I'm a believer in the science and have spoken to many scientists, geneticists and researchers who have been involved in assessing the results of research and development projects.

"I saw the benefits in the science and genomics, and I'm a bit disappointed that more people haven't adopted the data and the facilities that are available to them to really advance the genetic gains in their herds."

Mr Kee said he would look forward to spending time with his family and travelling around Australia in retirement.

"Herefords are still strongly placed in Australia because they have attributes that are advantages to the industry and other breeds," he said.

"They have something to offer; not only as straight-bred cattle, but they also have a substantial advantage or position in crossbreeding programs too."