Value adding Speckle beef

Speckle Park International magazine - 2022 edition Value adding

Clean and green Speckles from the Northern Rivers

By Kim Woods

Cubs Speckle Park have value added to their F1 calves

Two Speckle Park herds in the NSW Northern Rivers have value added to their steers through their local butchery with consumers consistently demanding more.

Commercial producers John and Jenny McKavanagh, Kogyle, have been turning off Speckle Park cross steers at 420kg liveweight and 200kg carcase weight with 10mm plus fat to their local butcher for several years.

“It walked out the door - they couldn’t keep up with the demand from customers and we couldn’t supply him enough,” Jenny said.

“Customers loved the eating qualities of the whole high yielding carcase.”

The couple produce an ethically raised, HGP and antibiotic free animal, using dusting bags to prevent buffalo flies and feeding garlic tops to help with worming.

They began their journey with Speckle Parks in 2010, buying a bull from the nation’s first sale at Six Star after seeing the carcase attributes of the breed at the Calgary Stampede.

They had been using Greyman and Brahman females in their 1200mm plus rainfall area at Kyogle.

The beef herd dovetailed with a busy macadamia and garlic enterprise and until recently, market gardening.

“The environment is sub-tropical and we need a hardy breeder – we started using the Speckle Park bulls over Brahman cows, retaining some crossbred heifers and culling the older cows,” John said. After a decade of using Speckle Park bulls, the breeding herd now comprises F4, F3 and F2 females.

The couple has found a demand for their surplus sub-tropically adapted Speckle Park infused females in the online market to buyers as far north as Yepoon, Qld.

“In the early days we donated an F1 calf each to the regional schools for carcase competitions to get the carcase feedback,” Jenny said.

“We noticed the difference in the temperament of the herd straight away, and added growth and carcase traits,” she said.

A third in the Casino Beef Week with an F1 carcase encouraged them to concentrate on pursuing markets for their weaner steers in the Casino store markets.

“It took the buyers a while to come around to the Speckle Parks – we had to educate them to their attributes but there are a lot of breeders in the area now,” Jenny said.

They were already customers of Stuart Bros Butchery at Kyogle and approached proprietor Brett Stuart to retail their Speckle Park cross beef.

John and Jenny use barley sprouts as a fattening agent for their trade steers and protein source for the cows during dry seasons.

“We have a fodder feed unit which produces 10 tonnes of feed to every one tonne of barley seed in five days,” Jenny said.

The Speckle Cross steers are finished on barley sprouts at Helmet Park.

“It’s a challenge sourcing good seed and the input costs are up there but it is a worthwhile investment. The seed is put in the trays, there is an automatic system of misting and lights, and within five days it is ready to feed out.

“We have a creep feeder with a mix of sprouts and grain in the paddock to start the calves off while on their mothers.

“If it is dry conditions at weaning, we will feed them on the sprouts as well.”

The calves are yard weaned at around 200kg liveweight or six to seven months on grain and hay then turned onto fresh pasture with adlib grain.

Butcher Brett Stuart originally bought their Speckle Park cross steer out of the steer auction at Casino Beef Week.

He began visiting the McKavanaghs to inspect the steers and promoting the beef at the point of sale.

But with record prices in the physical market, John and Jenny diverted steers off at a lighter weight of 320kg into the Casino saleyards at equivalent prices.

Jenny handled the marketing of their value-added product, calling it Helmet Park Speckles after their property, using social media to tell their paddock to plate story, along with retail signage.

She said consumers were interested in hearing the back story around the raising of the cattle.

“We have always wanted to supply local product and will certainly go back to supplying our local butcher.”

Laurie Stubbs and business partners Mark and Kathy Cain have been value adding to their Speckle Park/Hereford steers also through Stuart Bros Butchers at Kyogle.

The business partners founded Cubs Speckle Parks at Lynchs Creek with their first registered heifer born in 2019.

They were turning off 12-month-old F1 steers at 400kg liveweight for processing, finishing them on pasture and pellets.

“We couldn’t keep the bodies up – people were virtually knocking his door down to buy it,” Laurie said.

He said the Hereford cows were maternal, quiet and had plenty of length making an ideal cross with the Speckle bulls.

He said the Speckles offered Hereford producers increased 200- and 400-day weights, red meat yield and tenderness in the crossbred steers while F1 females could be retained in the herd as productive breeders. “Coming out of the drought with hay and grain at a premium, we wanted to try to manage our herd,” Laurie said.

“We approached Stuart Bros and they couldn’t help us enough with the article they wanted, and for us to achieve for them, and they were really happy with the product.”

Cubs supplied F1 steers for around three months but they were then diverted to the saleyards on the back of a skyrocketing store and prime market.

“It’s a no brainer now to take them straight off farm to the market with the prices the way they are,” Laurie said.

“For those wanting to value add, do the research and find your market – we had to find our feet as we went.

“The breed has a great following and is on the tip of everyone’s tongue at the moment. We have seen the prices in the auction room what they are getting for females and bulls, and everyone is looking over the fence at Speckle Park.”

Laurie said the Speckle Park breed will grow further once consumers can experience the meat eating quality, creating a pull-through for commercial cattle.

Speckle Park infused steers yarded for inspection by the butcher.

Continued page 64

Stuart Bros Butchery proprietor and second-generation butcher Brett Stuart aims to buy 200kg dressed weight carcases with 8-12mm of fat.

He receives the quartered carcases from the Northern Co-operative Meat Company, Casino, and portions them into primal cuts, mince and gourmet sausages. He doesn’t specify either grass fed or grain fed but says good nutrition is key from birth to achieve a consistent quality carcase.

“Generally, I like to inspect the cattle in the yards before slaughter and look at conformation, muscle pattern, across the back and looseness in the cod and brisket area,” Brett said.

“Some of our customers like to know the background to their beef, especially if it is locally produced, the feeding regime and if it is ethically raised.”

Brett conceded the red hot store and export driven feedlot markets had forced up prices on killable trade cattle, squeezing profit margins for butchers. “The consumers often ask when will the Speckle Park beef be coming back?,” he said.

Signage promoting the beef at Stuart Bros Butchery. TIPS FROM HELMET PARK SPECKLES:

Get your product and name out there by starting with local friends, family and community.

Word of mouth and social media are powerful tools

Be transparent on social media about your practices

Keep communication channels open with your butcher

TIPS FROM CUBS SPECKLE PARK:

Do the research and find your market

Tips from Brett Stuart, Stuart Bros Butchers

Firstly, get your butcher out to have a look at your cattle

Learn about the specs your butcher wants and work backwards

Concentrate on genetics – you need the right cattle to get the right calves

Do your sums and make a decision whether to feed them on to trade weights or sell as is.

Primal cuts from Speckle Park cross steers at Stuart Bros.