CREATING a successful paddock to plate venture seems to be the latest craze in the beef world but as the Hughes family, Dulacca found out, it takes more than just a paddock and a plate.
Philip and Adele, Lachlan and Anna and Alister Hughes’ operation supplies grain assisted cattle to their own Rangelands Quality Meats brand.
The family own country in Central Queensland where they join Brahman cross breeders with Angus bulls and then background and finish cattle for a period of 4 to 6 months on their Dulacca properties, Dulacca Downs and Heatherlea before they are turned off under the RQM brand and killed in Casino.
The Hughes’ property was the host location of AgForce’s Research and Development Field day in Dulacca earlier this month (May 8) and the family are the first to admit they have done plenty of R&D themselves.
The family has owned their Dulacca properties, which were previously used for dairy and sheep, for 13 years during which time they have been destocked three times.
After struggling with issues of water shedding and poor grass growth they tried shallow ripping and are currently trialing the application of mineral compost.
But nothing gave them an overnight fix for their desire to match production with the regeneration rate, so they reanalysed their priorities and direction.
Noticing the need to supplement feed for greater returns they introduced everything from dry lick to cotton seed and wheat based rations.
Last year they installed their own automated on-farm feed mill. With the advice from a dairy based Victorian nutritionist their ‘signature’ ration is mixed and fed out through a series of paddock feeders.
Their cattle’s average daily intakes are recorded digitally so when their consumptions reach a threshold they are moved to another paddock, a method of grass budgeting.
The family breed about 40 per cent of what they sell with backgrounder cattle purchased from sale yards given natural additives to improve the rumen microbes and enhance weight gain.
Heifers average 1.3-1.4kg weight gains and 1.5-1.7kg for steers.
Up to 400 head of cattle are turned off of their Dulacca properties monthly and Lachlan said the company saw paddock feeding as a way to repair soil while maintaining production.
He said what they were doing wasn’t revolutionary, they had just taken already available information and implemented it to suit themselves.
“All preg tested empty heifers come down here to Dulacca and they are through this system within two or three months and they are gone,” he said.
“Before hand those animals may have stayed in our system for years.
“You’d say we will give them another go, maybe the season wasn’t right but the bottom line is you are affecting your herd fertility but the benefit now is cash flow wise, those cattle are dead and gone.
“That grass is now being saved for something that does have a calf or if we have surplus grass we can buy in some weaners.”
The Hughes’ are now looking to their next venture, undergoing an AI trial to speed up genetic improvements and also sub dividing their paddocks to an optimal size of 150 acres.
Family is a big part of the success of their venture but Philip Hughes said the paddock to plate venture wasn’t for the faint hearted.
“Our industry works in isolation all the way down,” he said.
“But we have always taken the view that we won’t compromise on quality.”