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Alistair from the Gippsland Ag Group interviews Ensay farmer and Hereford stud breeder Barry Newcomen on Season 2. Barry describes extremely dry high-country conditions after a cold winter and windy, low-rain spring, poor hay results, and ongoing concerns about feed and water. Barry explains his farming background (in Ensay since 1960), his earlier work as an A.M.L./Elders agent, and how he started a Hereford stud after advice from his accountant son. He discusses his 23rd on-property bull sale (43 bulls this year; horned and polled) and why he sticks with Herefords. They cover the history of local sheep and cattle selling, including Ensay joining the Mountain Calf Sales, past huge sheep sale numbers, and stock being walked long distances to Bairnsdale. Barry outlines major Mountain Calf Sales changes: moving the Ensay sale to Bairnsdale on Monday morning to address reduced numbers, animal welfare, and buyer demand for weighed cattle, while keeping other sales in a revised order. Barry shares standout calf sale memories and market swings (record 2022 prices followed by much lower averages), explains calf selection and drafting, and details what he looks for in bulls (prioritising 600-day weight and structure, feet, temperament, and eye set). He discusses the impact of Johne’s disease on sheep in the district, the costs of keeping stock through the 2017–2020 drought, and a serious recent yard accident involving a bull. In closing, Barry’s advice focuses on family, manners, and community involvement. He notes receiving an AM (Member of the Order of Australia) for community service, including drought and flood response work and coordinating hay relief.

00:00 Season 2 Kickoff: What Digging Deeper is all about

00:44 Meet Barry Newcomen + a brutally dry season in the High Country

02:15 Who is Barry? From Ensay farmer to Hereford stud founder

04:19 Why Herefords (and how the bull sale stacks up this year)

05:46 Barry’s early life: school, Melbourne years, and learning the wool game

08:35 Back when Ensay sold 21,000 sheep: yards, logistics, and local history

09:45 How Ensay joined the Mountain Calf Sales (and the rise of the black sale)

12:36 Big changes to the calf sale format: weighing, welfare, and moving to Bairnsdale

16:29 Calf sale memories: portable yards, record prices, and market swings

20:47 Managing calves on-farm: selection, drafting, feed, and water worries

23:12 When sheep ruled the hills: walking stock to Bairnsdale and the old droving days

27:02 Why sheep disappeared: Johne’s disease, eradication, and tough years

30:38 Sheep prices then vs now: drought sales and hard lessons

32:03 Evan’s epic fundraiser run: Ensay to Omeo uphill

34:02 What makes the perfect bull? Hereford goals, weights & repeat buyers

35:58 Bull structure checklist: eyes, feet, temperament & calving ease

38:19 Picking replacement heifers & why longevity matters in cows

41:19 Stud bull wins and losses: big purchases, big returns

44:42 Surviving drought: agistment, hay, and the real cost of keeping numbers

47:53 A bull attack in the yards: the day it all went wrong

50:32 Wedding with a footy legend: Ron Barassi and Melbourne days

53:05 Advice to a young farmer: family, community, and earning an Order of Australia

58:06 Wrap-up, thanks, and program credits