I read with interest that Gina Rinehart’s cattle expansion quest continues at pace with the purchase of a Southern Queensland feedlot, Maydan. This feedlot has a capacity of 10,000 head and, while not listed among the 25 biggest feedlots in the country, has an outstanding and enviable reputation for animal welfare efficiency and the quality and finish of its product.
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Maydan recently won the title of world’s best steak for their “Jacks Creek Wagyu Beef” at the annual challenge in London. Maydan has for some time been putting the polish and finishing gloss to Mrs Rinehart’s full-blood Wagyu’s sourced from her properties in the triangle between Coonabarabran, Binnaway and Mendooran. The acquisition continues the Hancock company’s pursuit of an integrated supply chain for the beef it produces aimed at the very top end of the domestic and world markets. The previous owners, Mr and Mrs Willetts, have signed on to continue their involvement. Mrs Rinehart, undoubtedly one of the country’s biggest beef industry players, also has recently announced a deal with China to send live shipments of cattle from her top end properties. These cattle I imagine would contain a high content of Bos Indicus bloodlines and would certainly lend themselves to the live trade and that end of world-wide beef consumption. Analysts suggest if all boxes are ticked and targets reached this business could be worth as much as $500 million a year.
I don’t often go to the Narromine Store Sheep sale but went to this one. Under dry conditions the bulk of the sheep on offer presented well and sold exceptionally well considering the season. Buyers came from Wagga Wagga, Forbes, Grenfell, Parkes, Dubbo with some limited local support.
Some sales included 1st x ewes for the better end sold from $178 to $210 for a line of May/June 2016 drop, December shorn, NSM. Very few store lambs, Merino wethers or mix sexes were available. The best of the young Merino ewes was a line of 2½ and 3½ years old, February shorn, scanned 93 per cent to White Suffolk’s at $184.
The couple of pens of old ewes were really the star attraction. A/c Meadow Wood Partnership Tottenham, 228 Merino Ewes, 2011 drop, April shorn, mulesed, Egelabra blood, scanned to White Suffolk rams with a high percentage of twinners reached $196.
Before you start thinking your old ewes may be worth big money, these were proper sheep. Some of the best ewes of this age to grace the saleyard in a long time, I would suggest.
The other good pen of old ewes was A/c Rod and Juleen Young Purlewaugh being 218 Merino ewes, GSM, April shorn, Dunbogan blood, mulesed, approximately 50 per cent scanned as twinners to white Suffolk rams, drenched and vaccinated selling for $152.