“And the weather has been just perfect,” John said.
“There have been no real complaints about anything.”
The couple had travelled as far as Cootamundra in NSW to ensure each stud was visited by a committee representative throughout the week.
Mr Adams said the stud industry in Victoria had become more concentrated in recent years, with the numbers reflecting this.
“There used to be about 400 Poll Hereford studs in Victoria at one stage and now there’s probably less than 200,” he said.
“We put it down to generational change and also the marketing of the Angus, which has been extremely successful.”
The couple once bred Poll Herefords but transitioned across a decade to become winemakers, with Ros managing Ros Ritchie Wines at Mansfield after a successful 25-year career at Delatite wines.
The couple said their choice of breeding Herefords was due largely to the breed’s temperament.
“The pollies (Poll Herefords) are pretty much the same,” John said.
“A lot of it is in the handling, but there is also the breeding,” Ros said.
“There can be bad temperament of course, but the majority are good.”
Despite the lower numbers of studs, John said the industry was still strong.
“We are fine tuning the breeds so the cattle are getting better and better because people are trying harder and harder to produce – they are trying their best,” he said.
“The top-end stud guys and the societies especially are producing better animals, bigger animals.”
Travelling the state in a comfortable car after a stellar career in breeding seemed more than a holiday for the couple.
“I have no skin in this game, but I still have my toe in the water,” John said.
Ros now drives the couple’s enterprise after being John’s helping hand in the past.
“We started the winery in 2008 and ran the stud up to 2020,” she said.
“I helped him and he helped me and off we went!”
“He’s now my chief cellar hand, tractor driver, mulcher and pruner.”
The whistle-stop touring couple then boarded their car and headed off for the next visit.
