An expansion to the Nullamanna cattle feedlot near Inverell bought little more than 12 months ago by former Australian cricketer, Peter Taylor, was officially opened last week.
Mr Taylor’s wife, Julie, helped former owner, Barbara Lane, cut the ribbon in front of about 200 invited guests who included the managing director of Meat and Livestock Australia, Richard Norton, and Stephen Hannan, national manager of Westpac Agribusiness.
Mr Taylor, an off spinner and useful lower order batsman, played 13 Tests and 83 One Day Internationals between 1987 and 1992 before embarking on a farming career in north west NSW.
The Taylors operate a 3200-hectare winter and summer grain business on “Glen Eden”, Gurley, and bought 2266ha Nullamanna Station and its 1000-head feedlot in September last year.
Mr Taylor said the feedlot was “an exciting diversification” for his family and had effectively doubled the size of their business.
The feedlot was in a different and higher rainfall area to their specialist cropping farm on the Moree plains.
The feedlot is managed by Peter Lane who previously operated the feedlot with his brother, Mark. They were long-term suppliers of prime beef cattle to Woolworths.
Mr Taylor wouldn’t have purchased the feedlot if Mr Lane hadn’t agreed to stay on as manager.
Nullamanna is now supplying around 4500 MSA-graded prime young cattle a year to Woolworths after they have completed a 70-day feeding program in the 1000-head domestic feedlot. The feedlot is achieving a 98.6 per cent compliance rate with Woolworths’ strict specifications.
Four months ago the Taylors added a 2000-head expansion to the feedlot to supply cattle to NH Foods Australia’s Wingham abattoir for export to the EU.
Keiran te Velde from Bob Jamieson Agencies, Inverell, which is playing a key role in sourcing cattle and markets for Nullamanna, said the feedlot was turning off around 200 head to NH Foods every fortnight after 120 days on feed.
Mr te Velde said animals entering the feedlot must have their milk teeth to ensure they weren’t four-tooths after 120 days which was a “no go” for the EU market.
He said they were focusing on British Breeds genetics, preferably “black”.
A draft of the top pens from this year’s New England weaner sales are now being finished at Nullamanna and Mr te Velde believes the predominantly Angus cattle are the best to have entered the feedlot.