Fallsy inducted into Shorthorn National hall of fame
A stalwart of the Shorthorn breed has had his influence recognised with an induction into the National Shorthorn Show and Sale Hall of Fame.
Peter Falls, Malton Shorthorns, Finley, is the second name to be added to the list, with it established last year with Matthew Passmore, Forbes, the first name.
Mr Passmore was on hand to present the award to Mr Falls.
Mr Falls said the honour came as a complete surprise.
"I usually know most of what is going on, but this was a secret," he said.
Mr Falls' family has a long history with the Shorthorn breed.
"My father and grandfather had Shorthorns, I'm the third generation ... and the fifth generation is coming along," he said.
"My parents set the job up fairly well for us and the next generation, then next generation make it a little bit easier for me to go where I need to go because they take a bit of the workload."
Mr Falls said he had "been pretty fortunate" in his Shorthorn career.
"I met a lot of good people through Shorthorns," he said.
"I've travelled all over the world with cattle - a lot of places I would have never been able to get to and I really met some great people.
"I've been able to go to Canada and judge, then judge at all the Royal Shows in Australia - a number of breeds."
He is also federal Australian Shorthorns president, taking on the role in 2023.
The Falls family has a long association with the National Show and Sale, with Mr Falls judging there twice - in 2013 and 2019 - while his daughter Andrea Falls is presently committee secretary.
The family stepped away from showing cattle in 2015 - although Mr Falls suspects with the grandchildren this may start up again - but had still kept its close connection with the event, regularly buying genetics there.
This year, they paid the $16,000 female top price for a heifer.
Mr Falls said in the past decade or so, they had bought a number of top-price bulls.
"And they haven't been top price because we wanted to pay top price," he said.
"They're top price because other people want them.
"If you want them, you've got to step into the game - you only get one go at it. And the good ones are never dear."
Mr Falls said some other standouts of his time with the Shorthorn breed had been winning a number of interbreeds at the Royal Melbourne Show.
The family - and the stud - was inducted into the Melbourne Royal Hall of Fame in 2016 for 60 years of continuous showing.
He said another standout was attending dispersal sales of people - "clients and friends" - that had been an "outstanding success", with some grossing over $1.5 million and selling all across Australia, influenced by the Malton Shorthorn genetics.
