Penfold’s daughters

The Penfold family of southern Queensland is managing the succession of its large cattle operation to ensure all 4 daughters have a future on the land.

Story + Photos Mandy McKeesick

The first thing one notices when turning into Old Bombine, 60km south-west of Meandarra, Qld, is the behemoth of a shed. This is no simple outbuilding. It is 230m long, 50m wide and 16m high, containing 50,000 roofing screws and shading 1700 head of feedlot cattle.

While state-of-the-art feedlots across the country are installing shade sails, the big thinking Penfold family – father Dan, mother Karen and 4 daughters Bonnie, Molly, Jemima and Matilda – decided a colossal shed would best meet their needs.

“The shed cost just over $1 million,” Dan says. “We could have spent another half million employing contractors to put it up, but instead we built it ourselves. We paid our own wages, bought cranes and machinery to do the job and gave the girls knowledge and experience, and reinforced the belief they can do anything.” With all 4 daughters envisioning a future on the land, the shed is typical of the Penfold family’s work ethic and drive to build a business large enough to support everyone.

Dan and Karen came to Old Bombine in 2005 after a family break-up. “The property was valued at $1.5 million, but it came with a large amount of debt and equity was very tight,” Dan says. The pair had big plans. “We were able to communicate our vision to our bank manager, who had enough faith in us to lend us more money,” Karen says. The Penfold empire was away.

Today the Penfold family trades, fattens and breeds up to 10,000 cattle across 44,500ha of southern Queensland. Currently, Old Bombine, the homestead block, has 1600 backgrounders in paddocks and 2800 in the feedlot. Nearby blocks Mamaree, Belah Valley and Coreena Park account for another 2800 in paddocks and 1200 in a second feedlot (on Mamaree). Woodlawn, near Talwood, and Bellevue, near Yaraka, host 1300 breeding cows. The extensive operation requires a workforce and has found it in the 4 daughters, all keen to work together to build a profitable and sustainable future.