"Esk Beef" supplies local Brisbane Valley IGA stores

Ben, along with his parents John and Estelle, run a self-replacing herd of Charolais and Charbray breeders on Galanani, near Esk.

He said their paddock-to-plate story went a little further in January this year, when they successfully launched their beef brand into the IGA supermarkets at both Toogoolawah and Esk.

"All the Esk Beef is processed at Brisbane Valley Meats, a 10 kilometre journey down the road," Ben said.

"We are finding our customers connect with our locally raised processed product that has been raised on improved pasture and leucaena, then lightly finished with access to grain."

IGA Toogoolawah and Esk general manager Tania Lukritz said the locals were appreciating the home grown product.

"We stock as much as we can, and the beef just walks off the shelves," she said.

"We receive the product in carcase form, and our butchers cut and package the meat for the display shelf."

Over the years the Drynans have exhibited their cattle in competitions with great success, including winning the champion pen of three carcases for the Class 35 Woolworths Value Based Marketing Competition, at the Royal Queensland Show in 2017.

"We've also had success at the Esk Show, and in the Ekka Paddock to Palate in recent times," Ben said.

"Paddock to Palate certainly provided us with a platform to compare and benchmark our cattle, which has been a valuable tool to us."

In 2021, the Drynans won the highest individual daily weight gain with a steer that recorded an ADG of 3.414kg.