Riverina producers, Simon and Di Matear, have transformed production on Wantabadgery Station by focusing on feed demand and supply to maximise the kilograms of beef per hectare through their herd.
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This included changes which have increased production while reducing the cost of production.
The Matears run about 1300 Angus cows, with steers mostly sold into feedlot markets, while surplus heifers go to the supermarket trade or feedlots. Central to the 2600-hectare Wantabadgery Station operation is the calving program.
The focus is on minimising the need for large scale supplementary feeding by calving and weaning at particular times such that peak feed demand coincides with peak pasture production. This practice has allowed the stocking rate to be increased and fertility optimised by delivering well-conditioned cows to join in the late spring and early summer. Heifers begin calving at the end of July for six weeks and cows calve mid-August for nine weeks.
Calving the heifers for a shorter period, earlier than the cows, allows for greater supervision and attention to any issues and, importantly, allows the maximum time possible for heifers to regain condition after calving and return to oestrus before joining. The timing of weaning is driven by cow condition score with fertility in mind and can commence from early January if required to maintain condition on the breeders. The Matears have achieved a dramatic improvement in their productivity by changing their calving time to better match feed supply to demand.
“We changed from calving in autumn to a spring calving in the late 1990s and this allowed us to dramatically increase our herd size and our per hectare production while reducing our cost of production per kilogram. The number of breeders we could sustain increased by almost 50 per cent and we also saw a marked improvement in our fertility along with less variation in calving results,” Mr Matear said.
Pasture improvement has also played an important role. The inclusion of both summer and winter active perennials in the pasture mix has meant that pastures will respond to rainfall regardless of when it falls.
The Matears recently hosted a ReproActive event on Wantabadgery Station, supported by Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA) More Beef from Pastures program.
