The announcement of a weekly organic production at JBS Australia’s Rockhampton processing facility is welcome news for Queensland organic cattle producers.
Chris and Nina Hensley run a 3000 head organic cattle operation on their property called Peakvale near Clermont and are happy to see a large beef processors moving into the organic market.
“I believe JBS isn’t trying to compete against other markets that organic processors already have, they are developing their own markets,” Mrs Hensley said.
“With more organic cattle producers coming on board it’s good to have Australia’s largest processor willing to expand and look for more demand in other domestic and international organic beef markets.”
JBS will commence a weekly organic production in March as part of it’s Acres Organic Grassfed Beef brand.
JBS’s Rockhampton plant will process organic cattle each Saturday and are currently offering $6.60/kg carcase weight for organically certified milk-tooth yearling steers. JBS’s non-organic price grid is now offering $5.45/kg cwt for milk-tooth yearling steers.
“There’s a solid premium for organic cattle at the moment,” JBS’s northern livestock manager Steve Groom said.
“There’s also not the same penalties for fat cover on organic cattle, so it’s a more open pricing grid.”
After continual dry weather conditions, maintaining organic certification has been tough for the Hensley family who have been forced to buy-in hay.
“The biggest hurdle we’ve faced is sourcing organically certified hay,” Mrs Hensley said.
“Being situated in the Central Highlands, we had to truck organic hay from New South Wales at quite a huge cost.”
Mrs Hensley added the high price of cattle did help ease financial pressures while purchasing expensive feed.
“We’ve found it manageable in the end and with more organic producers and farmers coming on board I believe it may become easier to source organically certified hay in the future,” she said.
“Ourselves in day-to-day life have believed in the philosophy of organics and not using chemicals.
“We enjoy running this type of cattle operation.”
