Fat Cattle Going Nowhere

Can you believe the fat cattle roaming the far South Western Queensland Channel Country will not be going anywhere? Well, at least not by rail in the near future.

The Westlander railway track which extends beyond Charleville to Quilpie was severely damaged during the huge rain event in March 2010. Whilst many kilometres of the track have been repaired, there are still large tracts awaiting repair. The rail is often used to haul lots mobs of cattle from properties in Western Queensland to the Eastern markets.

Check out this stretch of railway line! Can you even begin to imagine the volume and the current in the flood water that can do this?

Farewell to the Lick Block Routine

Farewell to the Lick Block Routine!

During periods of dryness, many Western Queensland graziers feed their livestock supplementary nutrition. This is needed as the naturally occuring pastures are often lacking in key nutrients as drought sets in. These 20 kg blocks are usually placed near to watering points, and the cattle come in and lick the blocks - hence the name lick blocks!

The Western Rivers Carer boldly predicts that there will be very little placing of lick blocks in the coming months as the pastures are lush. Farewell to the 'lift, drag the cardboard box off, unwrap the plastic' and start all over again of putting lick blocks out.

Fat Cattle

There will be an abundance of fat cattle coming out of Western Queensland in the coming months. The natural pastures have responded to the recent rain, and are growing across the vast expanse of the outback. Much of the beef that is grown in the outback is organic, and has its own unique flavour and a very special tenderness.

For a primary producer to use the organic label, the cattle must have been bred and grown on 100% organic feed, which in Western Queensland means they have eaten the natural herbage and pastures. They have also spent their life in the great outdoors, living in fresh air amongst the sunshine and rain. A certified organic beef producer must undergo an accreditation process which clearly demonstrates that the beef production is done under organic management guidelines.

Increasingly, organic beef is labelled as such, so why not check out what you can find in your local butcher, supermarket or restuarant. You will be in for a treat.............and there will be many head of cattle trucked out in the coming months.