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Bull Beef Pays Off For Tasman Farms And Smithton

2003-11-20

A new enterprise growing out dairy and dairy-cross bull calves to two years is paying dividends for Tasman Farms Ltd and the Smithton community.

"We decided to make better use of an existing asset and grow out the bull calves we previously sold as bobbies or sent to the mainland as yearlings," Tasman Farms and Van Diemens Land Company general manager, Colin Glass, said from the company's New Zealand headquarters today.

"We milk about 15,000 cows on Woolnorth and other properties in Tasmania's north-west, so we produce a lot of bull calves. If we can grow them out and get a reasonable return, it makes a lot of sense.

"There is a specific market for bull beef and bulls are very efficient converters of grass to beef. We use our own dairy and composite beef calves and buy in others as well.

"There are no major problems - management is a little more demanding, but we've been doing this very successfully for some time in NZ under the Techno-Beef system in which small mobs are moved frequently."

Mr Glass said the development was in line with the State Government's recently-announced Agricultural Growth Strategy and had involved considerable investment by the company.

Smithton meat exporter, Greenham Tasmania Pty Ltd, is buying the bulls and processing them for US manufacturing beef.

"But there's also a strong demand for prime cuts to the domestic market," Greenham manager, Peter Greenham Jnr, said today.

Greenham will slaughter about 4,000 bulls from Tasman Farms during the next two months.

"The first bulls came through last week and were terrific," Mr Greenham said. "They were in just the right condition and dressed at 300+ kg."

"We've established a very good working relationship with Tasman," Mr Greenham said.

"It started when they sent bulls to the mainland for finishing then slaughter in our associated company at Tongala, Victoria. Now we slaughter the bulls here and we also process all their cull dairy cows."

Greenham has increased its throughput from 270-280 head a day to 310 and has taken on extra workers, now employing 110.

"It's a good boost for the Smithton area," said the Deputy Mayor of the local Circular Head Council, Daryl Quilliam. "The council has done all it can to help develop this trade and it is paying off handsomely.

"With extra employment and business for Greenham and Tasman, there is a good flow-on effect for the whole district.

"If it takes off with other dairy producers, as we expect, the benefits will be even greater."