When Grass Just isn't Grass - Multi species perennial and annual pasture

The holy grail of grass is a multi species perennial and annual pasture.

The recipe for growing some of the tastiest regenerative beef is very similar to our lamb - a combination of genetics, management, and diet, plus the dedication and passion of all of our hardworking cattle farmers and their families. 

So, do you want to know the real secret behind our juicy flavoursome steaks? It actually starts with the soil!

Healthy soil recipe

We nurture healthy soil, full of microbes and fungi, which restore water and nutrient cycles in the soil. These cycles are what support plant growth and resilience. Biological fertilisers are added to feed soil microbes, which then in turn feed the plants. And what plants do we want to feed? Grass! But this is more than just grass.

The holy grail of grass is a multi species perennial and annual pasture. 

Our farmers focus on regenerating these pastures through a combination of holistic planned grazing to use animal impact (think hooves stomping, mouths chewing, and bums pooing!) all over the paddock.  

This feeds the soil and adds moisture and nutrients back at ground level, where the microbes can break down the plant matter and cycle the nutrients through the soil and into the plants. 

It can also include seeding a paddock with a seed mix to introduce perennial and annual plants back into the system if they have been lost due to previous management, such as cropping or over grazing. 

A good diverse pasture may have plants such as chicory, plantain, clover, kikuyu, ryegrass, serradella, vetch, and many different grass species. It is actually how these species are grazed that determines how healthy, happy and productive these pastures can be, so it comes down to the cattle themselves! 

Holistic managed grazing = better pasture

Holistic managed grazing or high-density rotational grazing refers to grouping grazing animals together in a tight group, giving them a small amount of space to graze, and moving them as often as possible. Holistic managed grazing mimics the way large herds behave in the wild, when they are put under pressure from predatory animals such as wolves. They bunch together for safety. 

This means that they are eating the grass in one place down to the ground in a couple of mouthfuls, and then moving onto the next area. The grass has the intense animal impact of the plant being eaten, the residue being trodden into the ground, and the sheep pee and poo landing on top. 

The plant then begins to grow again and regenerates itself. 

This is quite different to conventional set stocking or leaving the animals in one large paddock for a long amount of time, where plants are consistently eaten down again and again as they try to regenerate, before they run out of energy and stop producing leaves. 

More frequent handling = better animal welfare

In holistic managed grazing, the animals have daily contact with the farmers, sheep dogs and vehicles - so they become used to them. Not only that, they soon realise that the arrival of a ute means that they are about to move onto fresh pasture - so they’ll often line up at the fence ready to be let into the next paddock! 

This familiarity with people means that the cattle are calmer when being moved through the yards, are less likely to hurt themselves, and have much lower stress levels. Long term this also translates into better flavour in their meat, as they are less likely to be stressed at the abattoir, which would spike adrenaline in their system. 

Cattle genetics bred for purpose - focusing on Angus

Angus cattle are moderate-sized, muscular animals, and are renowned as a carcase breed. They are used widely in crossbreeding to improve carcase quality and milking ability. Angus is a preferred breed for the Japanese high-quality beef market because of their propensity to marble, their white fat and bright-red meat. A good Angus will be quite short and stocky - think short legs and big round bodies, like a big 44 gallon drum on legs! Angus cattle are also known for their docile nature, being good mothers, and easy calvers. This all adds up to a happy cow that is easy to handle, which is better for the cow, the farmer, and the fences!

Diversity is key

Like having a soil full of diverse microbes and fungi, or a pasture full of different species of grasses and forbes, there is not one thing that makes our cattle good and our steak great - it is the combination of these growing practises and management skills that come together to create fantastic regeneratively grown grass fed beef. 

Supporting WA family farms

We are very lucky to be working with some great local family farms. It is difficult to grow grass fed beef year round in our climate, because in WA over summer we don’t get the rain to sustain pasture throughout our hot dry summers. It is also difficult to get grass to grow through the middle of a cold and wet winter. We work with seven family farms who can provide cattle at different times of the season depending on their geographical location, which helps to keep up our year round supply of grass fed beef. We also want to give a big shout out to Kent and Michelle Rochester from Manypeaks, who have worked so hard over the past two years to keep us in cattle over those difficult autumn and winter seasons. To hear more about our great cattle farmers, you can find them here!