FROM a young age 19-year-old Boyup Brook farmer Harris Thompson had been passionate about the cattle industry.
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"My parents offered me a Charolais cow of my own at four years old," he said.
"But at four I decided I wanted to have my own stud and I wanted it to be Murray Greys."
The dream became reality when he purchased his first Murray Grey cow with a calf at foot and back in calf.
"I sold the bull calf and doubled the money and it went on from there," Harris said.
He then coined the Mighty Murray Grey stud that has grown to include 30 stud cows. The Thompson family owns and runs a mixed farming enterprise, with cattle, sheep and cropping, including Venturon Charolais stud and is in the process of registering its first White Suffolk stud.
Harris was attracted to the Murray Grey breed because of its temperament and easy doing ability.
"A good Murray Grey, like what I'm aiming to breed, is one that is commercially focused and will perform if put into different operations, for example either grass-fed or a feedlot," he said.
"They also need to have great carcase attributes, which is what the breed is known for and has such a good reputation for."
He currently sells six bulls a year and wants to expand this by selling up to 25 bulls annually.
"It would be the ultimate goal for me to grow that number," he said.
With the current beef prices he said beef was an exciting sector to be a part of.
"Agriculture is expanding more and more, with the global population growing we need to feed the world, so we need to produce more and utilise the land and our products," Harris said.
After travelling to Canada in 2015 Harris saw the benefits of genetics and beef on a global scale.
"We need to improve genetics and weight gains – it all plays a part in the bigger picture," he said.
"My parents and I went to Canada for a Charolais world technical conference last year.
"To see technology get better and better in the beef industry and see it expanding is really exciting. I think WA needs to get better at sourcing and improving our genetics to grow."
Harris said current prices could be a good driver to keep young people in the industry.
"The current dollar, good cattle prices and knowing you can make some money out of cattle and farming, means it won't be seen as a hobby but a serious profession," he said.
"Beef is looking up in general and it's an exciting time."
Looking to the future, Harris wants to travel to either Canada or England to continue learning new techniques, tools and explore new technology that could be implemented in WA.
"I would like to see how they do it and then bring that back to the farm," he said.
