With his father Eric he operates ‘Ashbank’, a poll dorset and white suffolk sheep stud, 25 kilometres from Dubbo.

The stud is celebrating 50 years in 2007, making it older than Mr Dixon, who started helping out on the farm when he was at primary school.

He made the decision to team up with his father and brother on the family property after school and says he has always liked the work, being outdoors and working with sheep.

“I can’t imagine doing anything else,” he said.

His duties involve selecting the stock for artificial insemination, joining the stud sheep, animal husbandry and preparing for two annual and main events, an on-property sale and the Royal Melbourne Show.

Mr Dixon is involved with both showing and judging sheep and during the past 30 years has exhibited at the Royal Melbourne Show, Royal Canberra Show, Cowra Dorset Fair, Bendigo Sheep Show and Dubbo Show.

‘Ashbank’ has had many successes throughout the years with the 2003 Supreme All Breeds Ram at the Royal Melbourne Show and the 2001 Supreme All Breeds champion at Bendigo being highlights.

Mr Dixon takes the results in his stride.

“The judges like different things so if you win, you win, but if you don’t, good on the other person - especially if their winner was bred from one of your rams,” he said with a laugh.

Mr Dixon has also been on the other end of the competition as a judge of about 20 years.

“Judging has taken me all over Australia from Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and most recently Perth, where it is great to meet people with similar interests to mine,” he said.

The only aspect Mr Dixon dislikes about life on the land is drought. Hand-feeding stock all the time “starts to wear thin after a while,” he said.

‘Ashbank’ stud has changed with the times.

It started as a dorset horn stud, poll dorsets were added later, but demand for ‘hornies’ had disappeared so they were phased out before the white suffolk flock was developed to cater for that new market.

In the 1990s the stud adopted a genetic evaluation system that tests fat and muscle depth.

Buyers use system results to choose sheep for a variety of purposes including breeding for sale at domestic and export markets.

Mr Dixon says he gets satisfaction from his work when he sees return clients at the annual sale and when clients are getting good money for their lambs.