Raise your own Beef Cattle – Meet your Meat Cattle Sale…

A core part of our regenerative business is management and enterprise development for clients  using Permaculture and Regenerative Agriculture design principals. Our grazing management mimic natures pattern using the tool of time as apart of our Holistic Management graze planning. Mulloon Farm North (not to be confused with Mulloon Creek Natural Farms up the road) is gearing up to become a direct supplier of grass fed pasture raised Cattle in NSW’s south east to small holding farmers. Cutting out the sales yards, agents and broker fees  if you were  buying at a regional sale..

About Mulloon Farm:

Mulloon Farm is 800ac Organic (Non Certified) farm that will in the future have many other enterprises stacked in sink with natures pattern. The next part of the evolution of the beef cattle enterprise is to open up the selling of high quality pasture raised, organic cattle to private buyers on small land holdings. Our breeding has taken the Angus cattle breed and crossed them with a tropical breed from India called Nadudana. That has to produced a tender tasting meat and good fat scoring . The crossing Nadudana in the two breeds see its conversion of grass to protein (meat) surpass any European breed. The Nanaduna part of the cross has a exceptional track recored of converting poor quality feed (grass) like we get here in the Southern Tablelands in the winter months or hot dry summers with out losing as much condition as an European breed would.

Our business model is to make available a smaller framed animal , delivered to the customer at a stage in the cattle’s life which it will be ready to process by a mobile butcher or home butcher on your own farm. There is also the possibility of growing the cattle on to a larger meat frame and keep the home farm pasture in check until processing..

Owning your own Meat Cattle.

Having the right to grow our own meat and be responsible for the health and wellbeing for an animal, we see as an important step in the self reliance and grow your own movement.. Eating food that has been grown on your farm and processed with the full respect and honour that the animal deserves. That one bad day or one split second that the animal has as apposed to being carted on a truck for hours, yarded at the sales, again transported to an meat processor, high levels of stress and finally a meat that has no taste and tuff as old boots.

Infrastructure and Cattle

A good boundary fence is all you will need. These cattle have been raised around electric fences and sometimes only 1 wire, their very conditioned to being called or led down a laneway to the next paddock. Cattle yards may not be essential depending on how you receive the cattle after purchase. More details on delivery below. Water is the most important element for cattle next to grass and protection from the weather. A full grown adult cow/bull can drink up to 60Lt water per day. They need access to good quality water from a trough. Drinking from dams can lead to all sorts of health issues if you don’t have a good functioning landscape.

About the Nadudana Cattle Breed

Nadudana (pronounced Nar-Dar-Nah) are a naturally small Bos indicus breed from the Indian sub-continent. The name means small cattle in Hindi and were first imported to Australia from North America in 1995 and our farm was apart of that process.

These diminutive animals are physically similar to their larger cousins the Zebu cattle and are properly proportioned with the exception of their size. The mature Nadudana animal should not exceed 107 centimeters as measured across the back, behind the hump.

Many calves are born red or at the least with a reddish ‘cap’ on the top of the head, but will generally change to black grey or white by adulthood.

Breed Advantages

Efficiency: Intake higher levels of low quality feeds; high meat to bone ratios; higher feed conversion ratios than full size cattle.
Heat Tolerance: Dark pigmented eyes and muzzles reduce risk of cancer; sleek shorthaired coat with increased number of very efficient sweat glands; Lower metabolic rates generate less heat. The only small Bos indicus (Zebu) tropical breed in Australia.
Parasite Resistance: A major economic consideration as less chemicals are used! Sleek coats with sweat glands do not favor attachment of Tick larvae and repel flies; Resistant to internal parasites.
Beef: An evolving market for quality small “Boutique Beef” cuts, exists within Australia. Quality beefy, dairy cross calves.
Small Farms: Nadudana cattle are highly suited to small farms and can on average be stocked at 2.3 beasts to each standard size animal normally run; Allows commercially viable stocking rates with progeny finished on grass.
Adaptable: Australia is a land of contrasts and requires cattle that can adapt to climatic and environmental extremes.

Cattle For Sale

This autumn we have between 30-40 high quality vealer and yearling Steers and Heifers up for sale.

Investment and Transport: This autumns stock is closely matched. Batch qualities and follows: x1 Animal $490 + GST – x2 Animals $410 each + GST. x3 + Animals $390 each + GST.

There are many transport companies out there that deal in small numbers. Trailer hire companies often rent out stock trailers. We can arrange transport for you and have then delivered to your paddock. Contact us for a price per animal.

Butchering & Processing on your property:

Jim Fitch – Jim’s Mobile Butchers quality on farm butchering professional on farm slaughtering and butchering service for cattle and lambs,working within 60 km radius of Goulburn NSW. Minumun amounts apply.  Call – 0409391244

All Cuts Mobile Butcher (Yass NSW)  – Is an onsite butchering & slaughtering service which seeks to create a high quality product at competitive prices!

– Offering a broad range of cuts. All packed to suit you.

– Mobile service conveniently to your property.

– Reduce livestock stress results in a higher quality product.

– Mobile cool-room available.  Let ALL CUTS MOBILE BUTCHER fill your freezer with only the best meat for you and your family. Call Aaron today for a hassle free, stress free service!  Call – 0414 77 35 15 www.facebook.com/allcutsmobilebutcher www.allcutsmobilebutcher.com.au

 

Buying Cattle for the First Time

Buying livestock from anyone for the first time is a huge undertaking for first timers and old hands. We understand this, and we are willing to help people in any way we can. We are not interested in selling our cattle to just anyone. We would like to get to know you during the process and help you where ever we can to grow abundant grass, farm management, graze planning and  keeping the cattle healthy and safe. We can book a consultation on your farm to asses your current land base to see if it will suit growing young cattle.

We do not expect anyone to buy our cattle they haven’t seen, from people they haven’t met. Please make arrangements to inspect the cattle and to meet us in person.

Confirmation of Sale to avoid disappointment:

Note: Our cattle are not withdrawn from sale until we have a holding deposit – no exceptions. We understand that you will want to think about the investment. Please do your home work. But, we will not withdraw our cattle from sale for more than two days on your, “I will get back to you” assurance.

Buyers have 48 hours from the day of inspection to make a deposit via cheque or EFT.

Below is more information on keeping cattle and what you will need to be aware of. Its not a difficult process, just a process. Once its complete, your setup and done. 

Before Buying Cattle you’ll need Property Identification Codes (PIC’s):

It is a requirement in NSW for owners of livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs to have a Property Identification Code (PIC) when trading or moving these livestock.

A PIC is a unique eight-character number assigned by Local Land Services to properties with livestock. This property registration system allows for the tracing of livestock to assist with disease and chemical residue management.

For more details on getting setup for live stock (Its very easy) go to South East Local Land Services website on topics like; Moving Animals, PIC numbers and other useful information.

 

Grass Finished Beef V’s Grain Finished Beef

Many of us in Australia, today are far too removed from our food source. We have no idea what is involved in bringing food to our plates. For the most part, we prefer not to know. Unfortunately, when it comes to animal products, ignorance is not bliss. Certainly not for the animals concerned and certainly not for our long-term good health. After becoming so intimately involved with these beautiful bovine animals, we have chosen to raise our cattle in a more animal-friendly way and to be mindful of the things we choose to eat.

We have discovered some important information about Australian beef – information about the beef we’d been eating for years and the beef we are choosing to eat now. We choose not to eat grain fed beef now. We choose not to eat meat that has come through a feedlot. Take a closer look at the information on Grass Farmed Beef and Grain Fed Beef on the internet.

Back to Pasture. Since the late 1990s, a growing number of graziers have stopped sending their animals to the feedlots to be fattened on grain, soy and other supplements. Instead, they are keeping their animals home in the paddocks where they forage on pasture, their native diet. These new-age graziers do not treat their livestock with hormones or feed them growth-promoting additives. As a result, the animals grow at a natural pace. For these reasons and more, grass-fed animals live low-stress lives and are so healthy there is no reason to treat them with antibiotics or other drugs.

More Nutritious. A major benefit of raising animals on pasture is that their products are healthier for you. For example, compared with feedlot meat, meat from grass-fed beef, bison, lamb and goats has less total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories. It also has more vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and a number of health-promoting fats, including omega-3 fatty acids and “conjugated linoleic acid,” or CLA.

The Art and Science of Grass farming. Raising animals on pasture requires more knowledge and skill than sending them to a feedlot. For example, in order for grass-fed beef to be succulent and tender, the cattle need to forage on high-quality grasses and legumes, especially in the months prior to slaughter. Providing this nutritious and natural diet requires healthy soil and careful pasture management so that the plants are maintained at an optimal stage of growth. Because high-quality pasture is the key to high-quality animal products, many pasture-based farmers refer to themselves as “grass farmers” rather than “ranchers.” They raise great grass; the animals do all the rest.

Thanks for reading. Look forward to talking with you soon about  grazing your beef and meeting your meat.

Regards, Nick Huggins

On June 1, 2016   /   Blog, Farming