Hereford breeders interested in entering the innovative Hereford Boss program will get the chance to find out more at the Herefords Australia National Show and Sale at Dubbo.
Members of JBS Australia, which has launched the program in partnership with Herefords Australia, will be in Dubbo for the June 4 and 5 event to speak to producers and give them a rundown of the requirements and process to supply the popular market.
Steve Chapman and Mark Inglis from JBS Australia will make a presentation on the evening of June 4, speaking both about the Farm Assurance program as well as the specifics of what breeders need to be a part of the brand.
Hereford Boss provides a 100 per cent grass-fed Hereford product, which is also free of antibiotics and hormone growth promotent.
Mr Chapman said Hereford Boss came about because there was a need for a point of difference in the market. “Hereford cattle are 15 to 16 per cent of JBS kills at the moment, and we had some pretty good results within those slaughter figures, and when we were looking for a point of difference, clearly the Angus marketing has been very good over time, and we thought there was an opportunity to involve another breed in that, so we approached Herefords Australia,” he said.
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Mr Inglis said what made Hereford Boss unique was excellent eating quality, with a Meat Standards Australia Index of 60, and was therefore sought after by specific customers.
“Hereford Boss is currently being marketed into high-end restaurants and high-end butcher shops,” he said.
Mr Chapman said now that the brand had been developed, it was up to the breeders to come on board.
“We’ve done as much as we possibly can. We’ve developed the brand now so what we are looking for is support,” he said. “The easiest way [to become involved] is to contact your nearest JBS buyer or local agent to come through us at JBS and we can point you in the right direction.
“We’re certainly handling cattle to slaughter in Scone, in Brooklyn in Melbourne and Longford in Tasmania, so there’s a fair bit of scope across a large area, and all we need now is a bit of support around the brand and I think it will go very well for the future.”
