Wise family still working the land in Woodanilling, 122 years after pioneering predecessor cleared the way

In the rich crop growing region of the Great Southern, the Wise family are gearing up for harvest in hopes of being rewarded for their efforts on the land. Clinton Wise’s great-grandfather Herbert, a Woodanilling pioneer, cleared the family’s initial bush block in 1898, that led five generations to follow at Wililoo, the Wise family’s home farm. Clinton’s grandfather ran the very successful Wililoo Poll Hereford stud before the late Max Wise, Clinton’s father, established Southend Murray Grey stud. It’s now a thriving mixed enterprise with 2100 Merino breeding ewes, including 1000 stud ewes, 300 breeding cows including 200 stud cows and a 1500ha cropping program. Clinton said he refers to the enterprise, which he runs with his two sons, Rick, 32, and Kurt, 30, and their wives, Tegan and Amy, as a “corporate family farm”. “Each family member does their bit,” he said. “Rick manages the Wililoo Merino flock, plus the ram sale, and is in charge of the fertiliser program and manages all of the bookwork and does the grain marketing. “Kurt lives on the boom spray, and manages the Southend stud and organises the bull sale.” Clinton said everyone had their areas to attend to, looking after the seasonal farm work and the machines. “It just works,” he said. “The boys shear our sheep and I class the wool and market it. “Kurt won the intermediate speed shears on Saturday (October 24) at the Katanning Show. “We also won the supreme fleece, shorn from a 4-tooth Merino ram.” Clinton’s start in farming, after graduation from WA College of Agriculture — Denmark, was earning some pocket money through shearing from the age of 18. “I returned to the family farm when I was 24 and bought Wililoo (1523ha) from my father,” he said. “Through some acquisitions, we now have 3247ha.” Rick and Kurt both graduated from WA College of Agriculture — Narrogin. Rick said the family’s strategy was to mitigate risk through market fluctuations. “There is always a trade-off, we choose to mitigate risk and work towards having each farm component complementing the others,” he said. With the late season this year, Clinton said things were going OK. “It is too late for finishing rains,” he said. This year, the cropping program included 450ha of canola, including Stingray and Trophy varieties, all dry-sown in May before the break. The Wise family also planted 600ha to 650ha of wheat, Mason and Septor varieties, 250ha of barley, Flinders and Planet, 100ha of Bannister oats and 80ha of hay and silage. The canola had been swathed by a contractor and was scheduled to be harvested into seed last week, but the initial start was interrupted by a 3mm rainfall on Saturday evening. “We could only manage harvesting 20 per cent of the canola,” Kurt said. Also on the agenda was hay carting and pregnancy scanning cows. “We scanned 100 per cent, an excellent result,” Kurt said. Clinton said he was always thinking about the future and how the grandchildren would take their place in the family farm. Rick and Tegan have two girls, Lydia, two, and Eva, one. Kurt and Amy have three boys, Billy, three, Tex, two, and Conrad was born on October 21. “I can imagine Wililoo having a family butcher shop, or a veterinary service as the grandchildren become of age,” Clinton said. The Wise family will host their on-property Southend Murray Grey Bull Sale offering 40 bulls and 60 yearling heifers on February 25.