There's plenty written about the number of steaks being served up at Beef 2024, the grading quality and the marbling that melts in your mouth, but spare a thought for the diets of the cattle munching away in the sheds on the grounds.
The saying goes, you eat with your eyes, which might be the case for humans, but for cattle, it's the smell that draws them to the most attractive grasses.
That's because they don't see colour the way we do, so when you're buying your next batch of hay, the team at Fodderlink has been encouraging Beef 2024 attendees to think about what their herd might be sniffing their noses at.
Oliver Carson is one of the Fodderlink team on the grounds and he's been explaining the science of buying quality hay and feed.
"A green bale of hay's not just a green bale of hay. There's so much more to it," he said.
Fodderlink's logistics and feed-testing laboratory is based out of Carbarlah, north of Toowoomba, but they source hay and straw from all round Australia - from Emerald, Middlemount, Biloela and Monto in Queensland, down as far as Horsham in Victoria, to Keith and Bordertown in South Australia, and even in the Northern Territory.
The core of the business is supplying fibre to feedlots, and everything goes through the feed test laboratory for nutritional value.
Mr Carson explained that when someone asks for a quote, we'll select a number of batches for lotfeeders to run by their nutritionist.
"They'll then tell them which work best for their ration," he said. "You're spending the money for that premium product and you expect it to have a very good feed test."
At present, with Queensland covered in green grass, the demand in that state has been lower, and the supply abundant, so much so that Fodderlink's being encouraged to move their feedstocks out to make way for the cuts coming in.
A proportion of it is going to south west Victoria and southern South Australia, where it's extremely dry at the moment, the driest weather experienced in 30 years.
There's massive consumption going on down there at the moment, they're in a tough spot," Mr Carson said.
Fodderlinks also just invested in a large scale tub grinder, which they use with a large feedlot two days a week.
The tub grinder "destroys" a bale of hay in under a minute, and two road trains, with up to 84 bales on each, is processed in about six-and-a-half hours.
"Before we came along, everybody just trusted their instinct," Mr Carson said. "A lot of people are starting to see the benefits in buying good quality cereal."
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
