By KATHRYN BERMINGHAM
The beef industry is booming. Demand is growing, and the quality of cattle is continuously improving. Starting Wednesday 27 January, beef farmers around the state will open up their properties for Beef Week – an annual event giving industry people the opportunity to network, display and sell their animals. KATHRYN BERMINGHAM spoke with Nar Nar Goon farmer John Leek, who is preparing for the big event.
Our growth has been enormous. We started off with five registered Simmentals six years ago and now we’ve got about 50 of the best bred.”
NAR NAR Goon farmer John Leek is relatively new to the breeding scene, yet a highly selective strategy has seen his herd of Simmentals flourish.
After purchasing his first breeders from Tom Baker at Woonallee Simmentals in South Australia, his herd has expanded in size and improved in quality.
“Our growth has been enormous,” he said.
“We started off with five registered Simmentals six years ago and now we’ve got about 50 of the best bred.”
John, also a plumber and horse trainer, started Mt Ararat Simmentals together with son Mitchell with a clear vision to produce premium cattle for sale as animals and semen. He describes his commitment to breeding as “obsessive,” and said upgrading was a continuous process.
“My aim is to breed up, keep getting better and better,” he said.
“We’ve got as good as you can get, it’s just to somehow or other improve and doing that is going to be a hard job.”
John judges a cow by low birthweight and good bone formation, but above all on
the temperament of the animal.
“Buying the right Simmental bull can change the temperament of your whole herd,” John said.
“I had a couple last year whose temperament wasn’t 100 per cent, so I moved them on. It’s my number one assessment of cattle.”
In addition to dictating the behavior of other animals, finding the right bull can also make a crucial different to the weight of the cow at various stages of life.
Where a standard weaning calf can weigh around 300 kilograms at nine months old, the calves at Mt Ararat weight around 500 due to their genetics.
“Genetics is amazing, and people are finally waking up to the fact that it can change your whole herd,” John said.
Beef Week takes the groundwork out of trading for both the buyer and the seller.
Farms around Victoria open up their properties both for sales, but also for displays, networking events and demonstrations. Since its inception in 1992,
Beef Week has become vital to the cattle industry.
Previous Beef Week events have proven hugely successful for John Leek, who had 80 visitors sign his guest book in 2015 and sold 13 bulls in the weeks following.
He said it was the perfect opportunity for people in the industry to find the right bull for their herd, and made selling easy for breeders.
“It’s a great way to advertise our stud and to sell our bulls each year without having to run an auction and worry about it all year round,” he said.
Last year, visitors came from as far as Omeo to inspect the cattle at Mt Ararat, resulting in the sale of both animals and semen.
“We’re selling semen and purebreds to commercial people to upgrade their herds,” John said.
“People are actually putting Simmentals over Angus and other breeds.”
This year, John has organised a marquee, lunch and guest speakers to attend, and hopes he will draw even better numbers.
“We’re going to be selling young bulls, and people can buy them a little cheaper and get the benefits of using them from 12 months of age,” John said.
The speakers will address visitors on the topics of general farming and breeding, nutrition and cattle’s feet.
Farmers who register to participate in Beef Week are assigned a day according to their location, making it possible for visitors to see several properties on the same day. In 2016, 30 breeds will be represented, including nine other
Simmental studs from around the state. A trail of industry people are expected to follow Beef Week around the Victoria, finding the best cattle it has to offer.
John says although he’ll be busy throughout the period, he has visited other properties in the past and intends to do so again this year.
“It’s a great event and a big event for anyone in the industry,” he said.
“Beef Week is the future of our stud.”
Mt Ararat Simmentals is at 126 Mount Ararat North Road, Nar Nar Goon and gates open at 8am.
For more information and a full list of participating studs, visit www.beefweek.com.au
