My name's Peter Botsman. I've come late to farming. I was inspired by my family traditions. My Dad grew up on orchards at Doncaster in Victoria and every Easter while I was at school I visited by Uncle Bill and Aunty Robin at their wheat, sheep farm not far from Red Cliffs and Mildura. I also loved to visit my Uncle Barry who had an apple, pear, peaches at Vermont. I spent a lot of time as a young man hay baling on the Mornington Peninsula and in East Gippsland. I also had the great experience of doing a bit of farming around Lansing in upstate New York. Me, my then partner Catriona Moore, and the family bought the first five acres of Eramboo Farm in 1996. We then added another seventy acres in 2000. The place has slowly revealed itself to me after a long time. It really feels like home and I am very proud of the ancient sites on the property and the 300 year old cedar tree which I call "the healing place". The cattle make a contribution to the preservation of the local bush wallaby for every kilo I sell I donate to the local preservation society. I am very inspired by Aboriginal knowledge of the land especially the lessons I have learned from my adopted family in Arnhem Land - the Galpu clan. They have made me feel much more comfortable on the land. One of the things that concerns me greatly is the way in which pesticides, herbicides and chemicals are used in farming. My Uncle Barry probably had his life cut short by the use of the sprays in his orchard in Victoria. I have been very influenced by Alex Podolinsky and his work. Alex is someone who you never forget. His influence on organic farming in Australia is without parallel. He and Biodynamic Association of Australia based in Powelltown are a constant source of inspiration. Because I have come to farming late in my life I am hoping that my sons will also come back to the farm one day and enjoy it as much as I do. In the meantime I am keeping the place running. I am very pleased to be working with the Yuin people and the Moore family in helping to get Illaroo farm back to farming. The dream is to create a south coast Aboriginal food cooperative that incorporates beef, seafood, vegetables and bush tucker. It is often forgotten that not only were Aboriginal people the owners and custodians of all our lands but that Aboriginal labor on the South Coast was seminal in the formation of the beef, fishing, dairy and vegetable growing industries. We have 18 Scotish Highland breeders based at Illaroo on the Shoalhaven River. Slowly I will transfer animals to Aboriginal people interested in farming. I love selling food to people. I reckon its about the most honest thing you can do. You know immediately if the product you are selling does not come up to scratch. At the same time if there is a blemish there is usually a good reason for it. A harsh, dry summer or winter, lack of feed or over stocking can have an immediate effect. Its so important to keep things in balance. And thats sometimes not an easy thing to do. There is not as much money or incentive in farming as their should be. "The farmer feeds us all" is one of my long term favorite songs. Farming is about the health of our world and about small scale people centred production. This is something that we in Australia - with our penchant for large scale, so called efficient farming - are yet to fully understand. I hope this tells you something about Eramboo farm and why we do what we do. Apart from the cattle we also have bush tucker, a small citrus grove, macadamia and pecan nuts and a small vegetable garden. For vegetables we recommend our fellow local biodynamic organic growers John and Darce Fisher at Emerys Plateau Organics. John and Darce grow the finest vegetables you are ever likely to find anywhere.
Why Highlanders?
For centuries the Highland breed lived in the rugged remote Scottish Highlands. The extremely harsh conditions that prevailed created a process of natural selection, where only the fittest and most adaptable animals survived to carry on the breed. Originally there were two distinct classes: the slightly smaller and usually black Kyloe, whose primary domain was the islands off the west coast of northern Scotland; the other, a larger animal generally reddish in color, whose territory was the remote Highlands of Scotland.
Today both of these strains are regarded as one breed, the Highland. In addition to the red and black of the original strains, yellow, dun and white are also considered traditional colors.
The Highland is the oldest registered breed of cattle, with the first herd book being established in 1884. Around that time, American cattlemen from the western U.S. recognized the natural qualities of the Highland animal and imported them to improve the bloodlines of their herds. As a result, the Highland is credited with having contributed in a great way to the success of the American cattle industry. Today Highlands are found throughout North America, Europe, the South Americas and of course here in Australia.
Highland cattle are said to require little in the way of shelter, feed supplements, or expensive grains to achieve and maintain good condition and fitness. In fact, Highland cattle seem to enjoy conditions in which many other breeds would perish. Cold weather and snow have little effect on them, as long as hay is provided. In their summer coat, they adapt well and although they appreciate shade, learn to tolerate the harsh Australian heat. They have been raised as far north as Queensland right down to the snow-capped peaks of Tasmania. Less than ideal pasture or grazing land is another reason to consider the Highland breed. It has been said that the Highland will eat what other cattle pass by . . . and get fat on it! The Highland is also an excellent browser, able to clear rough undergrowth with speed and efficiency.
Despite the long horns and unusual appearance, the Highland is considered an even-tempered animal - bulls and cows. They can be broken to lead as easily as any other breed, even more so because of the Highland's superior intelligence.
The Highland is a disease resistant breed. Long lashes and forelocks shield their eyes from flying insects, and as a result, the blight of many an Australian farmer, pinkeye and cancer eye are less common. Highlands do not stress easily, so stress-related diseases occur with less frequency. Other bovine diseases affect the Highland less, due to the advantage of the genetic purity they have achieved.
The business end of any beef animal is the amount and quality of the beef it produces. Today's market is demanding premium meat, yet leaner and lower in cholesterol. The Highland carcass is ideally suited to meet this challenge. Highland beef is meat that is lean, yet well marbled and flavorsome, with little wasteful top layer fat (the Highland is insulated by long hair rather than a thick layer of fat). For many years Highland and Highland crosses have quietly achieved higher than average scores in many carcase competitions around Australia. In the British Isles, Highland beef is recognized as the finest available and fetches premium prices, and this reputation is spreading as more and more beef producers utilize the advantages of this age-old breed.
Highland bulls are used as terminal sires over dairy and first time beef heifers as the cross-bred calves thrive from the hybrid vigour produced. Calves from Highland bulls are generally of a smaller birth weight, which is then counter balanced by quick growth and finishing off.
Today's cattle market is demanding. Regardless of whether you are a small farm with only a few head, or a large commercial operation with hundreds, your objective should be the same - to produce a fine cut of beef with as little effort and expense as possible. Highlands are the breed to help you do this. Whether your interest is in pure bred animals or cross breeding, we are confident that the Highland will improve your bottom line.
For more about Highlanders go to: http://www.highlandcattle.org.au/
What is the philosophy behind our prices, the cuts of meat we offer and your delivery options?
We will sell any cut of meat to anyone who contacts us at a fair price of producing it and delivering it to them. Generally this is very competitive in terms of quality and price. We reward customers who have freezers and who can plan over some months for their meals. Value comes from purchasing full, half, quarter or eighth packs of meat. When meat is frozen, and vac packed, families can enjoy the highest quality meat at affordable prices over much of the year. We also like to travel as few miles as possible from our home paddock to your plate. We think we can beat the value and quality of any retail produce this way. Our aim is to make a living off a relatively small family farm by supplying our customers with very high quality food. If we were selling wholesale to supermarkets we couldn’t sustain our farms. We maintain relatively small herds so that we can, as much as possible, customise our product to you. By selling directly from the farm we deliver value to our customers in the form of low prices for a very high quality product. The best quality and most economical meat are often cuts like gravy beef and round steak which are wonderful for slow cooking. We are also starting to talk to some Sydney and Canberra butchers who would like access to our Kangaroo Valley produce for their customers.
What are the food safety standards that apply to meat products?
Australia has very strong food safety standards applying to meat products. We encourage all the consumers of our products to read about these standards. There are several excellent research papers and guides available through the NSW Food Authority that are most helpful and include: Microbiological quality of packaged sliced readyto-eat meat products, NSW Retail Food Safety Program, and date marking and labelling guidelines. We make every effort to conform with these guidelines and we would encourage any of our consumers to let us know how we are doing. If at any time you are not happy with any of our products from a safety or quality perspective please do not hesitate to call us immediately. Our aim is to provide our customers with the best possible quality product that is safe and cost effective. We will, of course, instantly replace any product that does not meet our quality standards and will be instantly proactive on any food safety issue.
How do you guarantee quality?
We guarantee quality through our small scale production process. We know every animal througout their lives. Our main breeding animals are with us from cradle to grave. For Highlanders this means that cows can be with us for over twenty years and farm operations are routine with the older cattle being very well trained and calm. Every day we see the cattle and ever three months most of our cattle are examined carefully. On Eramboo farm there are no pesticides, herbicides, pour-ons, antibiotics used. We try to keep the process as natural as possible. We also have a philosophy of no outside inputs to the farm. Stringbark farm also tries to ensure its Angus Limousins have minimal exposure to un-needed off farm products and procedures. We bring animals to the abbattoir in twos and threes. We ensure that all of our animals are humanely and carefully dispatched. There is very little waiting in holding yards. There is no process of transporting animals through laneways onto multiple trucks and then transported over quite long distances.The carcasses of the animals are allowed to relax over at least one and a half weeks. Our customers feedback is actively sought!
What is the difference between organic/biodynamic and grass fed beef?
The commonality of the meat we supply is that our cattle are not grain fed, nor are they fattened in feed lots. All come straight from grass paddocks.But there are also significant differences. The first is that biodynamic/organic meat costs 10 per cent more than grass fed meat. This is partly because of the extra labour involved in rearing biodynamic, organic cattle but also because Highlanders grow slower than Angus Limousin grass fed cattle.The grass fed meat we sell come from Stringybark farm, Kangaroo Valley, Vin Winch and family. Grass fed cattle are raised from birth in the paddock. They have 5 in 1 vaccinations but nothing other than that. Herbicides are used to control outbreaks of Parramatta grass. All of the silage and hay that the cattle are exposed to comes from Kangaroo Valley. Biodynamic/organic produce meets strict standards. Eramboo farm was bought by Peter Botsman and family in 1996 from Les and Patsy Gordon. Since that time there have been no fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides or pour ons of any kind used on the property. Biodynamic sprays are used to improve the soil. Eramboo farm has not been a big enough concern to warrant full Demeter registration through the Biodyamic Agriculture Association of Australia, however, it is registered within the Biodyamic Gardeners Association Ltd and has been visited regularly by Alex Podolinsky. All of the animals reared on Eramboo and Stringybark farms are raised ethically according to the highest standards of animal husbandry.
Why are organic and grass fed beef sold from the same website?
I have a great deal of respect for my Vally neighbour Vin Winch. He is one of the great bushmen of the Valley and he has taught many young people their trades. It is tough to make a living on the land. The preference is for large agricultural operations that turn out large numbers of cattle for export or for processing. We have founded the Kangaroo Valley Biodynamic, Organic and Grass Fed Beef website and marketing strategy to work together to share our costs and overheads and ensure that there is a good output for customers all year round. We share website, advertising, transport infrastructure costs and also jointly man and distribute the produce to local markets. We also may in the future allow our neighbours in Kangaroo Valley to join with us. Apart from the fact that on Eramboo farm there are no herbicides, pesticides and pour ons used, there is also no discontinuity in our farm management strategies. We operate on a small scale on small acreages to ensure very high quality products are produced. Biodynamics is a very effective way to improve soil quality and is becoming better known to conventional agriculture. By working together we can share our knowledge as well as our resources.
How widely is Kangaroo Valley Biodynamic, Organic and Grass Fed Meat distributed?
We want to limit the miles that our produce is transported so far as is possible with the preference on local markets and people. However over time we will sell our beef in Canberra and Sydney and possibly to other markets where there is demand for small acreage, customised food products. Our priority is to ensure that our product goes from farm to plate with as few middle men as possible. We want to supply high quality produce at affordable prices and that in turn supports our farms.
What is the difference between Scottish Highland and Angus/Limousine meat?
Angus/Limousine cattle grow out far quicker than Scottish Highlanders. It takes about eighteen months for a Highlander to reach an appropriate weight before they can be turned out, Angus/Limousine cattle can be turned out at nine months if there is a good season. Scottish Highlanders are wild, compared with other breeds such as Angus, Limousine and Hereford that have evolved through animal husbandry over the past one hundred years. Scottish Highlanders are the same genetic structure as the animals that roamed over the Scottish Highlands four hundred years ago. They are effectively wild animals. Scottish Highlanders are great foragers and eat a much greater variety of plants and herbage than many other breeds of cattle. As a result Scottish Highland meat is a more gamey meat. Angus/Limousine is very much classic, tender beef.
