CENTRAL WEST BEEF WEEK 2015
Article printed in the Small Farms Magazine August 2012 edition.
Temperament is very
appealing.
Javid Square Meaters is a new stud established in September
2011. It is owned by Wayne and Jenny
Petrie and is located on a small farm of 60 hectares near Orange, NSW.
Wayne and Jenny returned to the Orange district some years ago after 30
years in the architecture business in Brisbane.
“Before we
established the stud we were in the business of fattening steers on this farm,”
says Jenny. “We purchased cattle as stocking
capacity dictated with the help of a stock and station agent.
“For a myriad of
reasons we were never really happy with this process. Although we were
utilizing the land and making an income we were not enjoying the work. There
was no consistency of product, we felt we were at the mercy of the market, and
some of the steers we purchased, after appearing meek and mild in their pen at
the livestock exchange were obviously masquerading and/or had never seen a
human before. Well past the age of wanting constant adrenaline fixes we found
working with these animals a real chore.
“We first saw the Square
Meaters at the Mudgee Field Days and they appealed to us immediately. There was a bull and cow and calf and they
were very placid. Later, on a car trip
to Perth we
called in to see Kylie McKinnon’s herd at Narromine. We could easily approach the animals in the
paddock and they were not in the least wild or aggressive. We talked about the cattle off and on all the
way to Perth
and back and, when we got home, we had decided to get out of fattening and get
into stud Square Meaters Cattle. We have
not looked back.
“While we are now breeding Square Meaters, we
are still in the business of fattening steers (home grown Square Meaters, that
is). We have experienced superb weight gains in our spring calves, purchased at
foot with their dams from Kylie McKinnon of Narromine and Woolaringa Stud,
Goulburn. The beauty for us is that
by finishing at 12 to 15 months our turnover is the same as our bought-in
steers and we know that we have a far superior product.
“The Square Meaters breed has presented other
exciting opportunities for us. We have a couple of very promising bull calves
that we are working with in the yards at the moment. Their temperament is wonderful
and we are hoping that they will make excellent stud sires or alternatively be
valuable in bringing the typical Square Meaters attributes of length and depth
of body to a commercial or cross breeding operation. As we increase our herd
numbers we intend to provide quality heifers for sale as well.
“Our farm is of
special significance to us as we are the fourth generation to work on this
land.
“Our predecessors
were farm hands and stockmen living and working on the very large Dalton Estate
which enveloped the whole area in the late 1800’s. My grandfather with his
three brothers made an initial down payment on the land in 1918. We are therefore
very committed to this small farm and what it produces.
“Our satisfaction
with the Square Meaters breed is of the highest level. We love working with
them and enjoy the all-round results they deliver.” She says.
