Red Centre forges grand beef plans under centre pivots

There is a definite “sky is the limit” thinking among progressive cattlemen and women, and some grand visions being discussed, with the push now for expanded water licences.

“Let the water flow and we can grow whatever the market wants,” said cattleman Wally Klein, whose 2600 square kilometre Orange Creek Station, 80 kilometres south of Alice Springs, is producing everything from lucerne and oats to feed weaners to potatoes and oranges.

Mr Klein, with son Jacob and daughter Joella and her husband Billy Nelson, runs a herd of 4000 Poll Hereford breeders and also trades cattle as opportunities present.

They generally have around 6000 head on their bush grazing country, dominated by the native wild oat grass and with plenty of ranges. However extremely dry conditions this year - just  60mm since Christmas - has taken that back to 4000.

Cattle are mostly finished on grass and it’s typical for Orange Creek to turn off 600 kilogram bullocks as two-year-olds.

Orange Creek predominantly supplies the domestic market with high Meat Standards Australia compliance, however some cattle go to live trade as well - depending on what markets and seasons are doing.

It’s nutrition that drives beef production here, says Mr Klein, with not much difference recorded between breeds.

That is why the Kleins have invested heavily in infrastructure in the past two years - a second centre pivot to the tune of $500,000 and a 2000 head feedyard.

Since the 1980s, they have been utilising underground water, first via walk along sprinklers and then with the one centre pivot, to produce homegrown feed and horticulture on their free hold land.

With the prospect of subleases for a range of non-pastoral purposes following the Territory  Government’s introduction into parliament late last year of the Pastoral Land Legislation Amendment Bill 2017, increased beef production from home-grown feed is a strong possibility, as is the expansion of the pioneering diversification at Orange Creek.

The Kleins have 50ha under irrigation, growing lucerne, sorghum, oats and wheat in winter, 1000 orange trees for the juice market and - for the first time last year - 10ha of Ruby Red potatoes.

In the past 12 months, they were able to produce 370 tonnes of hay off 20 hectares.

“We can sell some but the ideal is to use it for our cattle,” Mr Klein said.

Calves are weaned at six to eight months, then fed for three months, with the idea being getting cows back in calf quicker.

Mr Klein has big beef paddock-to-plate plans.

“What I want to do is feed more weaners and build an onsite abattoir, eventually selling organic, grassfed beef under a Centralian brand,” he said.

He has, for the past three years, had in an application in to expand his water licence from its current 1000 megalitres to 3000.

Mr Klein estimates around seven centre pivots have popped up on cattle properties in the Alice region in the past five years and many others are also looking to increase water allocations.

“We are still pumping from the same depth we were in 1980 - the water table hasn’t changed,” he said.

“There is so much opportunity still here. Water is the only thing holding us back now.”