Inland Devon Breeders
DEVON MEAT QUALITY – “Absolutely first-class”
Following the Inaugural Inland Devon Breeders sale and Future Beef Breeders Youth Camp last year, a group of Devon breeders from west of the divide have formally formed the Inland Devon Breeders group, a branch of the Devon Cattle Breeders’ Society of Australia. The Inland Devon Breeders have plans for continuing with both the Inland Devon Breeders sale in September, the Future Beef Breeders Youth Camp, held over the October long weekend, and for hosting a Devon Feature Show among other sale and field day events in 2011.
2011 Committee Members were elected as follows:
President: David Spong, Tamworth NSW Ph: 02 6760 4244 Em: the.spongos@bigpond.com
Secretary: Tania Hall, Binnaway NSW Ph: 02 6844 6266 Em: gundooee.hall@harboursat.com.au
Treasurer: Ally Heap, Mullaley NSW Ph: 02 6743 8031 Em: alison.heap@bigpond.com
The group collectively wishes to further high-light the benefits of Devons in the marketplace, its superior grass-finishing ability and most importantly of Devon beef on the plate. Although you won’t find labelled Devon beef in your local supermarket, Devon beef (or Red Ruby Beef as it is known around the world) has long been known for its supreme qualities by local butchers, here’s what Tamworth master butcher, Ken Oakley had to say in the Land Newspaper and in the most recent issue of Bulldust:
Devon the standout for Tamworth master butcher
by Andrew Norris
Tamworth master butcher, Ken Oakley, has made a life from meat, and along the way seen a few breeds with standout meat quality, including Devon.
He got into the meat business in 1976 when he left his family’s farm and has since managed two butcher shops and the meat cutting demonstrations at Sydney Royal Show, been an Intercollegiate Meat Judging Competition coach and inaugural committee member and is now a meat industry workplace assessor for TAFE.
“Not all butchers get to understand the live side – with Devons, one of their greatest characteristics is their do-ability,” Mr Oakley said.
“The trouble was (farmers) put them up on country where other cattle wouldn’t survive too well.”
Because they’d been up in this country they never looked the “ritz” in the saleyards, he said.
However, for meat quality, he said Devon was better than or equal to most British breeds, with its extremely fine texture.
“Once you get fine texture, this will equal tenderness,” he said.
This made them great for cross-breeding, plus they were easy to finish on pasture or grain.
In the early 1990s, when he had his own herd, he put 70 Devon-cross calves on feed. He pulled the heifers out at 65 days and the last of the steers at 90 days and their average daily gain was 2.6 kilograms.
“We sold those to Woy Woy abattoirs and the only feedback I got was ‘how many more of those do you have?’,” he said.
The breed’s Gloucester branch concurrently ran a feeding trial and asked him to assess the carcases.
“As far as the domestic market, you couldn’t have got any better – they were absolutely first-class and meat quality was second to none,” he said.
With the Devon’s efficiency also came the ability to finish easily, which was important when crossing with European breeds, he said, as it prevented carcase moisture loss.
“Lean carcases can lose as much as 7 to 9% of carcase weight in seven days due to moisture loss,” Mr Oakley said.
“There’s a trend with younger (butcher) managers today to look at the fat tub at the end of the day and see it as waste, and while yield is important, so is palatability.
“They don’t see it as quality – I see it as a guarantee the meat I’m selling this week is good enough to get customers back next week.”
The breed was also finer boned – the same trait that made them good in the hills – which provided an extra 1 to 2% saleable meat yield when boned out, he said.
For a courtesy copy of Bulldust or for more information please contact the Inland Devon Breeders, who are always happy to talk cattle.