Orange peel and Dr Temple Grandin's influence, mean quiet cattle

Ms Jones, who runs a paddock-to-plate operation near the town, seeks to breed and grow cattle which are quiet and easy to handle.

She's been inspired by the practices of Colorado State University animal behaviourist, Dr Temple Grandin, in running her Murray Grey Square Meater herd.

Those practices extend to an unusual way of helping calm the animals on the farm she runs with husband, Peter.

"I feed orange peels to the younger heifers in the home paddock, it's just a way of giving them a little treat, as part of interacting with them so I can get them to move where I want them to," Ms Jones said.

"I don't give them very much, it's just like the odd little sweetie, every now and again."

Ms Jones said she wanted cattle that were not too large.

"The Murray Grey's have a lovely nature, the mums are really good, and I have worked really hard to make sure all of the cattle on our property aren't scared of me," she said.

"I am always with them - quiet handling results in easier management, they are happier and it comes out in the quality of our meat."

She said she often went and sat with the herd, leading to comments that she was "the cow whisperer."

The original cows and bulls came from Misty Meadows, Yarra Junction, Kelkette Park, Yackandadah, and Highbury, Fish Creek in 2013.

"It is beautiful meat and it comes from having good quality stock," she said.

The Murray Grey Square Meaters also allowed for portion sizes, which were suitable for the everyday meal.

She said she was running an older bull in the herd, Leonardo, and was in the hunt for new bloodlines.

"There are few females we want to bring through into the breeding group, because they have grown up on the property, so they are well conditioned to our climate and they are quality cattle," she said.

Leonardo runs with the herd, all year around.

"The mums are always calm, it's great for the younger cattle as well, he is very calm with them and very protective.

"Often, when I move them from one paddock to another, he will often wait at the back and come through, and follow them up.

"I don't think there is any point in separating him from the herd, and having him in a paddock on his own, all the time - I mean they are a herd animal.

"It doesn't seem fair to me."

The property was running 55 breeders and their offspring.

Ms Jones said 10 years ago, she and Peter wanted to move from Melbourne, but wished to say within easy reach of the city.

With views of Mount Wombat, Miramonte Farm is located 650 meters above sea level on the tablelands of the pristine Strathbogie Ranges.

The farm was developed with laneways and rotational grazing, with specially designed stockyards to allow for calm, efficient handling.

The Jones' created a large reserve along a natural water course, feeding the property's main dam, and extending to Sevens Creek.

Initially the Jones started fattening Angus cattle.

"We found out their temperament was a little unpredictable - we fattened those cattle, sold them at the yards and found out a lot of them ended up in the feedlot.

"That didn't seem right to me, to run around a paddock, then stand in a feedlot and be fed grain. We then decided to breed our own cattle."

Stock was turned off at 18-months to two years old, before being processed off site, and sold at farmers markets and Strathbogie Local Food Hub.

"We have thought about going direct, selling online and direct deliveries and we have just bought a refrigerated van, which will enable us to do that, because not everybody can make it to a farmers market," she said.

"When we pick the meat up we can go and do some deliveries."

Miramonte has recently expanded into making salami and petite en croute pies - "a small, beef version of the British pork pie", pulled beef and pasta sauce.

"We find customers love the fact I can list where all the products have come from and what ingredients are in each of those and they have just been baked the day before," she said.

Miramonte was selling the full body of beef, so cooking enabled the farm to use up meat, which didn't sell at the market.

- courtesy Stock and Land, Victoria.

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