Visiting a cattle feedlot over the weekend is not something you would expect 'Eco Chick' to be doing.
Yet on Saturday there I was standing amongst 11,000 head of cattle to learn more about the Australian beef industry and, let's face it, of course to find out how the cattle and environment is treated in the process.
One thing that was clear from seeing both the 'grain-fed' and 'grass-fed' farming operations, and spending time talking with a number of Australia producers during the trip, there is no doubt a deep respect and fondness for both the animals and the land – far greater than I encounter in many other people.
The tour included visiting the Kerwee feedlot on the Darling Downs in south-east Queensland which specializes in the production of 'grain fed' beef and has been owned and operated by the Hart family for over 45 years.
To then get an understanding of the differences between a feedlot and a 'grass fed' farm I was taken Samarai, which is owned and operated by Sid Plant and his wife Merilyn, along with their daughter Tanya who also lives on the 3000 acre property with her family. Due to the dry conditions, Samarai is currently home to around 250 'grass-fed' head of cattle, but caters for up to 800+ at other times.
Given I have about six pages of notes to decipher and learned more than I could ever have imagined (who knew that Waygu was a type of cow and not a way the meat was produced or cooked?) I am hard pressed to cover it all off here, so I'll cover off the key areas that I had the most concern or questions about.
Animal Welfare
On the drive up I wasn't sure what to expect of the feedlot in particular. I figured I would be confronted and distressed by the image of cows all lined up side by side in stalls unable to move freely around.
What stood out from what I saw and heard, is that the Australian cattle industry is leading the way when it comes to producer best practice, innovative sustainability practices and keeping the cattle as stress-free as possible throughout the entire process.
Even if you look at it purely from a financial point of view, a stressed cow is not a healthy, happy one which effects the quality of the meat and lowers the productivity, so it doesn't make financial sense to allow the animal to be hurt or stressed along the way.
Turns out when it came to the cows I encountered, at both properties they looked calm and relaxed, very inquisitive (as they usually are) and even in the feedlot they had room to roam around and mingle with the group, lay around, or munch away on their molasses smelling grain as much as they pleased. I even had a taste of the oats that they were fed at Kerwee and they tasted pretty good.
The demeanor of the feed-lot cows didn't appear much different to their grass-fed counterparts who, whilst having more room in the grass paddocks to roam around in, pretty much chose to hang around together in one spot and do the same thing as their feedlot brothers and sisters.
I also learned that Australian cattle kept in feedlots spend the majority of their lives in an open range grass fed environment prior to the feedlot entry, with the average time spent in a feedlot between 60-120 days, around 10-15% of their lifespan.
So why are feedlots used?
Working alongside grass-fed farms, feedlots are generally used to consistently supply market requirements (aka meet consumer expectations and market demand) in terms of quality and quantity. The control over their food and water is quite a science and helps to ensure the cattle reach a required weight, taste and consistency to meet customer expectations.
This is particularly important in times of drought or floods, where they are used to ensure that cattle can be homed, fed and watered in a safe and monitored environment. They also provide greater efficiency in terms of land use, water use, feed and reducing carbon emissions.
Cattle are supervised daily by trained handlers and are protected from starvation, flood, fire, drought and wild animals, whilst vets are employed to oversee their health and welfare.
Hormone and Antibiotic Use
One of the other major concerns relating to meat production is the concern over the use of hormones and antibiotics. In many markets here and the EU there are strict policies and measures in place to ensure no hormones, growth promoters, antibiotics or chemicals are added.
At Kerwee there are some pretty stringent measures in place to ensure any unwanted outside influences don't make their way in, including a test of all grain coming into the site for chemicals and a sample of each kept as a record. The cattle are also randomly tested so that if anything is picked up there is an investigation along the supply chain to find out how or where the contamination may have occurred.
Like humans, when a cow is sick the vet may need to administer the required antibiotics and there is even a 'sick-bay' set up to ensure they don't cross contaminate with healthy cows. I was surprised at how tightly monitored the animals are when in ill health and the level of adherence to systems to help them get well and insure the others around them do not get sick.
In fact, I had no idea how many systems were in place to identify and track every individual cow for their entire life and how much information was held about them including their travel, food, weight and medical history.
The Plant family avoids the use of hormones and chemicals at Samarai. and they work hard to monitor any activity of neighbouring farms to ensure it doesn't impact on their cattle. Their vigilance is not only due to their belief of keeping healthy and stress-free cattle, but Merilyn Plant's sensitivity to chemicals that many of us are exposed to on a daily basis has led to ill health in the past, so it is a way of life for this family in everything they do.
Environment
There is of course an environmental downside to beef production.
Like many big industries, any product that is consumed in large volumes has an impact in terms of the land it is produced on, the resources being used, the waste it produces etc., and I believe it is up to the individual companies (farms/feedlots in this scenario) as well as the industry as a whole to make this a priority issue across all areas of operation.
Most farmers have been conscious of their environment way before many other people even had it on their radar. They live, work and breathe the land and have much to offer in terms of best practice on caring for the land.
My tour was arranged as part of the Target 100 campaign of the Meat & Livestock Association, which is working to identify and promote case studies of producers leading the way such as Kerwee and Samarai. Whilst I won't go into detail of all the activities, caring for their local environment seems to be at the core of much of what they do.
The grain used by Kerwee is locally sourced and travel miles throughout the production process are kept to a minimum where possible. The feedlot is surrounded by 3000 acres of native and improved pastures, which are used for preparing the cattle for feedlot entry. Oakey Creek (feeding into the Condamine River) runs through the property, so they have been working with local conservation groups to improve the stability and health of the creek, as well as restocking the creek with native fish. Manure is composted and sold locally as a second revenue stream and water catchment initiatives are in place.
When it comes to knowledge and first hand experience with climate change, Sid Plant at Samarai is certainly a pioneer in this field. He's been living and breathing the challenges that a changing environment creates for all of his life and first began studying climate in the 1960s and realized its application to agriculture. He is a keen advocate for utilizing climate-forecasting tools and for greater action on climate change issues.
The plains on Samarai are naturally mostly treeless so they have planted several thousand native trees to assist with wildlife, landcare and livestock shade. Cell grazing (using lots of smaller paddocks to allow them to move cattle onto new pasture regularly) has helped to achieve better pasture health, ground cover and good cattle performance. It also allows them to check their cattle regularly to ensure they are all okay.
Find out more about your meat...
Overall being part of this tour was definitely a worthwhile experience and for those of you reading this who include beef in your diet, I hope it has answered some of the doubts or questions you may have had about the treatment of the cattle and the production processes, but were too afraid or busy to find out.
These two case studies are by no means the only farms and feedlots committed to best practice. The Australian cattle industry has some of the strictest animal welfare and environmental guidelines in the world.
As with anything in life, the key to sustainability is balance and ensuring your product choices are supporting those companies that are doing the right thing.
Take the time to read the label and ask your retailer or restaurant where and how your meat has been produced. If you don't like the answer, you can always lobby for them to become more accountable. If you have an interest in finding out more you can visit www.target100.com.au
To then get an understanding of the differences between a feedlot and a 'grass fed' farm I was taken Samarai, which is owned and operated by Sid Plant and his wife Merilyn, along with their daughter Tanya who also lives on the 3000 acre property with her family. Due to the dry conditions, Samarai is currently home to around 250 'grass-fed' head of cattle, but caters for up to 800+ at other times.
Given I have about six pages of notes to decipher and learned more than I could ever have imagined (who knew that Waygu was a type of cow and not a way the meat was produced or cooked?) I am hard pressed to cover it all off here, so I'll cover off the key areas that I had the most concern or questions about.
Animal Welfare
On the drive up I wasn't sure what to expect of the feedlot in particular. I figured I would be confronted and distressed by the image of cows all lined up side by side in stalls unable to move freely around.
What stood out from what I saw and heard, is that the Australian cattle industry is leading the way when it comes to producer best practice, innovative sustainability practices and keeping the cattle as stress-free as possible throughout the entire process.
Even if you look at it purely from a financial point of view, a stressed cow is not a healthy, happy one which effects the quality of the meat and lowers the productivity, so it doesn't make financial sense to allow the animal to be hurt or stressed along the way.
Turns out when it came to the cows I encountered, at both properties they looked calm and relaxed, very inquisitive (as they usually are) and even in the feedlot they had room to roam around and mingle with the group, lay around, or munch away on their molasses smelling grain as much as they pleased. I even had a taste of the oats that they were fed at Kerwee and they tasted pretty good.
The demeanor of the feed-lot cows didn't appear much different to their grass-fed counterparts who, whilst having more room in the grass paddocks to roam around in, pretty much chose to hang around together in one spot and do the same thing as their feedlot brothers and sisters.
I also learned that Australian cattle kept in feedlots spend the majority of their lives in an open range grass fed environment prior to the feedlot entry, with the average time spent in a feedlot between 60-120 days, around 10-15% of their lifespan.
So why are feedlots used?
Working alongside grass-fed farms, feedlots are generally used to consistently supply market requirements (aka meet consumer expectations and market demand) in terms of quality and quantity. The control over their food and water is quite a science and helps to ensure the cattle reach a required weight, taste and consistency to meet customer expectations.
This is particularly important in times of drought or floods, where they are used to ensure that cattle can be homed, fed and watered in a safe and monitored environment. They also provide greater efficiency in terms of land use, water use, feed and reducing carbon emissions.
Cattle are supervised daily by trained handlers and are protected from starvation, flood, fire, drought and wild animals, whilst vets are employed to oversee their health and welfare.
Hormone and Antibiotic Use
One of the other major concerns relating to meat production is the concern over the use of hormones and antibiotics. In many markets here and the EU there are strict policies and measures in place to ensure no hormones, growth promoters, antibiotics or chemicals are added.
At Kerwee there are some pretty stringent measures in place to ensure any unwanted outside influences don't make their way in, including a test of all grain coming into the site for chemicals and a sample of each kept as a record. The cattle are also randomly tested so that if anything is picked up there is an investigation along the supply chain to find out how or where the contamination may have occurred.
Like humans, when a cow is sick the vet may need to administer the required antibiotics and there is even a 'sick-bay' set up to ensure they don't cross contaminate with healthy cows. I was surprised at how tightly monitored the animals are when in ill health and the level of adherence to systems to help them get well and insure the others around them do not get sick.
In fact, I had no idea how many systems were in place to identify and track every individual cow for their entire life and how much information was held about them including their travel, food, weight and medical history.
The Plant family avoids the use of hormones and chemicals at Samarai. and they work hard to monitor any activity of neighbouring farms to ensure it doesn't impact on their cattle. Their vigilance is not only due to their belief of keeping healthy and stress-free cattle, but Merilyn Plant's sensitivity to chemicals that many of us are exposed to on a daily basis has led to ill health in the past, so it is a way of life for this family in everything they do.
Environment
There is of course an environmental downside to beef production.
Like many big industries, any product that is consumed in large volumes has an impact in terms of the land it is produced on, the resources being used, the waste it produces etc., and I believe it is up to the individual companies (farms/feedlots in this scenario) as well as the industry as a whole to make this a priority issue across all areas of operation.
Most farmers have been conscious of their environment way before many other people even had it on their radar. They live, work and breathe the land and have much to offer in terms of best practice on caring for the land.
My tour was arranged as part of the Target 100 campaign of the Meat & Livestock Association, which is working to identify and promote case studies of producers leading the way such as Kerwee and Samarai. Whilst I won't go into detail of all the activities, caring for their local environment seems to be at the core of much of what they do.
The grain used by Kerwee is locally sourced and travel miles throughout the production process are kept to a minimum where possible. The feedlot is surrounded by 3000 acres of native and improved pastures, which are used for preparing the cattle for feedlot entry. Oakey Creek (feeding into the Condamine River) runs through the property, so they have been working with local conservation groups to improve the stability and health of the creek, as well as restocking the creek with native fish. Manure is composted and sold locally as a second revenue stream and water catchment initiatives are in place.
When it comes to knowledge and first hand experience with climate change, Sid Plant at Samarai is certainly a pioneer in this field. He's been living and breathing the challenges that a changing environment creates for all of his life and first began studying climate in the 1960s and realized its application to agriculture. He is a keen advocate for utilizing climate-forecasting tools and for greater action on climate change issues.
The plains on Samarai are naturally mostly treeless so they have planted several thousand native trees to assist with wildlife, landcare and livestock shade. Cell grazing (using lots of smaller paddocks to allow them to move cattle onto new pasture regularly) has helped to achieve better pasture health, ground cover and good cattle performance. It also allows them to check their cattle regularly to ensure they are all okay.
Find out more about your meat...
Overall being part of this tour was definitely a worthwhile experience and for those of you reading this who include beef in your diet, I hope it has answered some of the doubts or questions you may have had about the treatment of the cattle and the production processes, but were too afraid or busy to find out.
These two case studies are by no means the only farms and feedlots committed to best practice. The Australian cattle industry has some of the strictest animal welfare and environmental guidelines in the world.
As with anything in life, the key to sustainability is balance and ensuring your product choices are supporting those companies that are doing the right thing.
Take the time to read the label and ask your retailer or restaurant where and how your meat has been produced. If you don't like the answer, you can always lobby for them to become more accountable. If you have an interest in finding out more you can visit www.target100.com.au