Greg and Helen Kuchel say their investment in electornic NLIS equipment has provided many efficiencies to their business.

With six years experience in backgrounding cattle, Wagga Wagga district producers, Greg and Helen Kuchel, are grateful for key management tools that have helped them meet challenges and save money during the difficulties of drought.

Greg Kuchel credits their investment in electronic equipment linked with the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) as providing the couple with office and cattleyard efficiencies and simplified their decision making process during these dry times.

Business and beef came together when Mr Kuchel took a new direction in life after a long career as a wool buyer.

The Kuchels lived in five States during Greg’s 34 years as a wool buyer, then "a mid-life crisis" took them from the comfort of the Adelaide Hills to a 487-hectare property, "Massadon", at Borambola in the Wagga district.

"After spending all my life around farms and primary industry the next step was to put theories into practice," he said.

Mr Kuchel buys steers, usually Herefords, black baldies, and Angus, aged 8-11 months, with the aim of adding at least 150 kilograms to their weight during about eight months on his property’s pastures - improved perennial (phalaris and subclover), annual (subclover and ryegrass) and native (microlena and red grass).

He forward contracts to a feedlot and hedges the risks with cattle futures.

"Backgrounding is a business, farming and rural life is business," said Mr Kuchel.

The NLIS benefits start immediately with the purchase of livestock, as Mr Kuchel can identify all the factors that may contribute to his beef business.

"Ideally, we need to see each steer gain 180-200 kilograms to realise a reasonable return," he said. The vendors also benefit from his electronic record keeping because he can track the best results and happily return to buy again when they breed more stock.

Although Mr Kuchel believes "the greatest thing about NLIS is that it allows me to understand each animal and track the individual weight gain and performance", he said there were time saving benefits too.

The Kuchels have been selling between 500 and 600 steers a year resulting in some 3000 movements through the yards. The couple has spent about $7500 on electronic equipment including a weigh platform, Ruddweigh collector, a panel reader, computer, and cattle-management software.

"Each animal is weighed about six times and the incorporation with the NLIS database using readers, makes the time spent weighing animals a good return on investment," he said.

"NLIS and the electronic reader allow me to work cattle through the yards efficiently if Helen is not available to help me.

"If one person can do these things, it means a 60 per cent increase in efficiency."

Mr Kuchel sees his purchase of NLIS related equipment as an investment in his business, rather than a cost, and he said the labour savings alone easily balance with the expenditure.

"The NLIS is fantastic - I absolutely love it," he said.

"You have to run your operation as a business. NLIS just makes you run a better business."

Visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/nlis or contact the NSW Department of Primary Industries on 1300 720 405.