Shane Swanson oversees the cattle and sheep livestock operation at the beautiful Burnewang North Pastoral property just out of Rochester, in central Victoria. Burnewang North, with its impressive gardens and residences, including one of the last surviving Cobb and Co sheds in Australia, dates back over 100 years, when it was originally settled with 100,000 acres, running 40,000 sheep and Clydesdale horses.

Now covering 2,500 acres, it is the home for a leading thoroughbred operation, a Santa Gertrudis cattle stud, prime lambs, lucerne and oaten hay production. Shane’s wife, Lorraine, looks after the commercial thoroughbred stud on the property, owned by Cathy Hains of that well-known racing family. To supplement that enterprise, Burnewang North Pastoral has taken the unusual step of setting up a Santa Gertrudis stud and commercial cattle operation.

Santa Gertrudis are fairly rare in this part of the country, being more familiar as a sub-tropical breed in northern NSW and Queensland. The stock was purchased during 2006 from south-east Queensland. The breed is noted for heat tolerance as well as tick and bloat resistance. “That’s what I like about them,” says Shane, “they’re tough animals, they do well here, and the flies don’t bother them.”

The cattle enterprise is still in the early stages, but they currently have 200 commercial Santa Gertrudis cows in calf to three Charolais and four stud-registered Santa Gertrudis bulls. There are also 27 stud cattle at the moment.

The commercial line for the Santa Gertrudis is sourced mainly from the ‘Yarrawonga-Waco’ stud in southern Queensland at Wallumbilla. Shane told us that two-thirds of the stud animals are from the ‘Diamond H’ stud at Wandoan in the Western Downs of Queensland. So although they are a long way from where they would normally call home, they have a very distinguished pedigree.

MORE EFFICIENT FEEDING

Looking to make feeding more cost- efficient, the decision was made to buy some Waste-Not stock feeders about two years ago. They set up a feedpad with two twelve-arch panels on each side and curved five arch segment at each end. A pad stay across the middle between the straight panels prevents lozenging. Because there is no need for a concrete base for the feedpad, Shane says that it is very easy to move to whichever paddock they want to set it up in.

“We bought one feedpad first to feed 220 head. We put in six big square bales, which is five tonne of feed. Then we bought a second feedpad of the same size.

“They’re good, they work really well. We fed all 60 of our first-calving heifers on the system and it has worked well in controlling the feed.”

The unique design of the arched panels in the Waste-Not feedpad ensures all feeding occurs inside the feeder, there is little bossing or bullying at the pad, and no trampling of feed or soiling by stock.

REDUCED FEED WASTAGE

Trials have demonstrated a reduction in wastage of around 27%. It is interesting to note that this system seems to alter animal behaviour to ensure heifers and tailenders get more of a fair go, usually resulting in an increase in weight gain. One notable trait is that the cows with their calves at foot, are very calm and easy to get along with at the feedpad.

The property has a significant haymaking operation, irrigating from underground water through two bores at opposite ends of the property. Burnewang North is on the Campaspe channel system and at the moment they have 50% allocation from the bore water. Lucerne and oats are baled into large squares for use with their own stock and they sell small square bales of A-grade lucerne to other horse studs. Shane says that he usually fills the feedpads every second day.

COWS ARE LOOKING GOOD

“The good thing is that you can put them anywhere. Most of our paddocks have dryland lucerne, so there is enough forage to keep the stock going. The cows are looking really good, I reckon that we’re doing better than most, and that’s got to be down to the way we feed them.

“We can also control all the feed for the horses.”

Although Waste-Not Fair-Go feedpads are more commonly found on dairy farms, Shane Swanson says that they have proven just as efficient in saving hay and ensuring that all the animals get their share of feed at Burnewang North.

“I’m impressed with the strength and the standard of assembly. They do work really well and I can recommend them for intensive feeding of beef cattle. The aftermarket service that we have received from the blokes at Waste-Not has been excellent.”