MAINTAINING consistency in farm and feedlot management is the key to producing a uniform product, according to Rangers Valley managing director Don Mackay.
A consistent, quality product has led to the Glen Innes farm and feedlot being one of three finalists in the inaugural Meat Standards Australia Excellence in Eating Quality Awards, to be presented at Dubbo tomorrow.
Rangers Valley produces grain fed beef for a range of brands, turning off about 50,000 head a year.
The 36,000-head feedlot is key to the operation, as are the properties where 6000 head are backgrounded at a time.
About 36,000 Angus cattle go into the short and long-fed programs at Rangers Valley and about 12,000 Wagyu cattle are sold in a series of marbling scores from three to nine-plus each year.
Eating quality and marbling have been priorities since the inception of the business.
The company’s pure black Angus product is long-fed for 270 days and sold to about 20 countries, but it’s the short-fed product that has led to the recognition from MSA.
The MSA-graded domestic product, which is sold under the Coles Finest brand, relies on pure black Angus cattle fed for 100 days.
Rangers Valley supplies 216 head a week for the Coles product with an average dressed weight of 285kg.
It’s a whole life approach to managing beef production at Rangers Valley, Mr Mackay said.
“It’s about getting breeds right and getting the animal on a rising plane of nutrition throughout their life,” he said.
“They need to be the right age and have the right growth to produce a consistently high quality product.”
Creating a consistent product comes down to choosing the right breeds and making sure all cattle are correctly weaned and backgrounded before entering the feedlot, Mr Mackay said.
“We have all Angus or first-cross Wagyu/Angus and we select the cattle very carefully.
“We know the genetics, know the breeders and the people who produce for us and we know that the proper preparation of an animal means they’ll perform in the feedlot.”
All Rangers Valley cattle are yard-weaned and exposed to horses, motorbikes, yards and vehicles.
Cattle are backgrounded on a mix of improved pastures and forage crops, including oats, barley and ryegrasses.
“We want animals to be bulletproof when they arrive in the feedlot so they're not uncomfortable and not under stress,” Mr Mackay said.
“We want our cattle to come in really strong condition with a fat score of three, so animals that are growing, not getting fat – perfect for finishing in the feedlot.”
