South Coast Farmer - Winter 2010

THEY call them “Koony Clean Skins”.

But Stuart and Veronica Greaves (pictured) are not growing grapes on their Koonwarra property, rather breeding sheep that sheer themselves just by walking around and feeding. Read more on page 9 of this winter issue of South Coast Farmer in today’s Star and Yarram Standard.

PAGE 2 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 25, 2010

Rural fi finance nance scholarships

Applications close 31 may 2010

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Rural Finance is proud to support Victorian Agriculture and the young people who will contribute to the success of the Industry in the future. As part of our support we are proud to offer scholarships worth up to $6,000 per annum to Victorian tertiary students. Students who are in the first or second year of an undergraduate course and committed to agriculture may apply.

For more information call Rural Finance Bendigo on (03) 5448 2600 or visit www.ruralfi www.ruralfinance.com.au nance.com.au

“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 25, 2010 - PAGE 3

Korumburra South: Michael and Brianna Armstrong have been share farming since July 2006. They are pictured with young son, Carter.

THIS topic and more will be discussed at a field day at Korumburra South on Thursday, June 10.

The day will be held at Ian and Joanne Cash’s dairy farm where Michael and Brianna Armstrong have been share farming since July 2006.

This season the farm has milked on average 510 cows across a 160 hectare milking platform with a further 100 hectare run off block. The farm is forecast to produce under dry land conditions in an August calving herd, 10,000 litres per cow or 680 kg milk solids per cow and 2170 kg milk solids per ha.

The cow’s ration throughout the lacta-

tion has focused on a heavy reliance of quality home grown forage and fodder crops from both the milking platform and the out block in combination with higher than average concentrate feeding.

This year the farm has been managed by Michael with 1.5 full time equivalent labour units and with Brianna responsible for calf rearing.

The day is to detail how this high milk output per cow and hectare under this simple farming system, along with a focused management can be achieved.

Later an independent review will clarify if, in this very difficult milk price season, whether this farm has earned significantly above average dairy

farm profits or not.

The main guest speakers at the day include: Andrew Debenham, Debenham Australia – Feeding to achieve high milk production.

Michael Armstrong, sharefarmer – Management strategy adopted in 2009/10.

John Mulvany-Onfarm Consulting- Review of farm financials and risk. “Are we making money or just producing milk?”

Tim Kemp-Morrison Jefferis & Associates Accountants – Financial progress and making it all worthwhile.

The farm at 885 Korumburra South Rd, Korumburra can be accessed either 3 km east of Ko-

rumburra by turning south at Fishers Timberyard on the South Gippsland Highway, or turning west on Andersons Rd within the speed restrictions in Leongatha when travelling towards Inverloch.

The day is scheduled to begin at 10.30 am and will be completed by 1pm. The day is being sponsored by Debenham Australia, Southern Stockfeeds and Dairy Australia with lunch afterwards provided by Fonterra. All are invited to attend the day.

For further information about the day, please contact Debenham Australia at Leongatha on 5662 5317.

Agriculture still leading the way SOUTH Gippsland Shire has a thriving economy worth more than $2.8 billion.

Over 7000 businesses contribute to that remarkable figure.

Manufacturing is the major industry, representing $694 million.

Next in line comes agriculture, contributing $313 million.

But the top two are inextricably linked because much of the manufacturing is done by food processors using agricultural produce.

The shire is recognised as having one of the lowest unemployment rates in Australia, with the agricultural sector providing more than 20 per cent of jobs.

Details of the local economy are spelled out in the shire council’s 2010/11 budget.

It’s a well-known fact that South Gippsland is one of the main dairy farming centres in Australia and its worth to the local economy underscores that fact.

According to the budget report, beef farming is expanding and now worth $130m, whilst sheep farming comes in at $16m.

Potato farming is a key industry too, as is the growing of snow peas. For part of the year, most of Australia’s snow peas are grown in South Gippsland.

There’s also the wine industry and the shire’s increasing reputation as a centre of organic and native food production.

After manufacturing and agriculture comes construction at $250m, forestry and fishing $212m, property and business services $177m, retail trade $160m and oil and gas at $109m.

Tourism, which draws more than one million visitors to the

region each year, adds another $223m to the economy.

The budget report also notes hundreds of millions of dollars worth of infrastructure investment that has either been finished or is on the drawing board.

This includes last year’s $50m connection of natural gas to Korumburra and Leongatha, the $200m expansion of Murray Goulburn’s dairy processing factory, multi million dollar dried milk powder plant at Burra Foods in Korumburra and attendant $2.1m electricity supply upgrade, $21m sewerage connection for Nyora, Poowong, Loch and Meeniyan, $8m development of Port Anthony at Barry Point, $75m Leongatha Education Precinct, $2.5m Corner Inlet integrated children’s hub at Foster and $16m construction of an optic fibre link along the South Gippsland Highway.

PAGE 4 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 25, 2010

By Brad Lester

THEY may be a long way from their home base in New South Wales, but that has not stopped a new dairy company making inroads into South and West Gippsland.

Bega Cheese now has five suppliers between Yarram and Foster, and about 20 in Poowong, Drouin and Warragul, encroaching on the traditional strongholds of Murray Goulburn and Fonterra.

Although having a presence in Maffra for 15 years, Bega Cheese has only expanded further into Gippsland in the last 18 months, since buying De Cicco Industries and acquiring that company’s suppliers.

The company continues to receive substantial interest from farmers interested in changing companies, said Bega Cheese’s manager of milk supply and farm services, Ken Garner.

“At Farm World, we got really solid enquiry and I have had phone calls from people saying they are happy to see another big company in Gippsland,” he said.

Is the company fazed by the established presence of the likes of MG and Fonterra?

“No one likes competition but it’s all healthy competition,” Mr Garner said.

MG has no problem with more competition either, said managing director, Stephen O’Rourke: “MG as a farmer owned cooperative and will continue to return to its members everything that its market delivers,

regardless of competitor activity.”

Fonterra is equally indifferent. National milk services manager Heather Stacy said: “Fonterra operates in a highly competitive environment across Victoria and we are focused on building long term partnerships with our farmer suppliers.”

Milk collected from West Gippsland is still taken to De Cicco’s factory in Coburg in Melbourne’s north, while southern milk is transported to Maffra and then on to the company’s head factory in Bega, NSW. Mr Garner said the company is now focused on expanding its supply base in West Gippsland rather than in the south, as the west is closer to the Coburg factory.

“But if we can’t get the volumes that we require in West Gippsland, we will look at

Far reaching: the head factory of Bega Cheese in New South Wales.

Praised for being small IF THERE is one thing Hedley farmers Stephen and Kerri Green have noticed since supplying Bega Cheese, it’s the company’s support of smaller farmers.

Milking 140 cows, the couple has found no pressure from Bega Cheese to expand in order to continue their supplier status.

“We wanted to know that we were not just going to be a number and that has turned out to be the case. They know who you are when you ring up,” Kerri said.

“We’ve had no trouble with them at all.

They are at the end of the phone if you need them and they have a field officer at Maffra.”

According to Stephen, smaller farms ben-

efit milk companies as they tend to produce milk with stable cell counts.

With less cows to worry about, the farmer typically knows his animals and is able to get on top of issues before they arise.

“We were milking 330 cows but I’m married to a wife and family, not a herd of cows.

We reduced our herd size when we moved from Carrajung to Hedley 12 years ago,” Stephen said.

“We did not want to be burnt out with high mortgage repayments and a huge workload, and now we can have a day off if we want to.

“Bega are very much orientated to quality, not quantity. They pay before all the other companies and don’t make a big song

and dance about it. The biggest thing you see about Bega is their sign on the gate.”

The company is accommodating of the Greens’ wish to not finish milking until 9am.

With five farms to pick-up from in South Gippsland, the company has the flexibility to meet suppliers’ needs.

The company employs Stoitse’s Transport of Welshpool to collect milk on its behalf, further contributing to the region’s economy.

The Greens’ herd is about 80 per cent jerseys and produces the higher percentage of butterfat Bega Cheese desires.

The family became Bega suppliers last year, when Bega bought the previous company they supplied, De Cicco.

“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 25, 2010 - PAGE 5

seeking more suppliers in South Gippsland,” he said.

“It does not mean that we won’t pick up milk in South Gippsland but it’s not my first preference. We are happy to pick up milk from all farmers, whether they are small, medium or large.”

As a cheese manufacturer, Bega Cheese’s pay structure rewards farmers with “reasonable components”, Mr Garner said.

“We need to get the ratio between fat and protein correct for cheese manufacturing,” he said.

Bega Cheese also has a small group of suppliers in East Gippsland and also owns 70 per cent of Tatura Milk Industries in northern Victoria, with 300 suppliers in that part of the state.

Throughout his travels, Mr Garner is finding farmers’ outlook is becoming more optimistic after last year’s dairy downturn.

“The world market is improving and pay rates are going up. We are hoping for improvements again going into the next season,” he said.

“Particularly through South and West Gippsland, they have had a reasonable autumn and the grass is growing and the cows are milking well.”

The company makes 20,000 tonnes of natural cheddar cheese and 40,000 tonnes of processed cheddar cheese every year, with 30 per cent of production sold overseas.

Animal focused: getting to know cows well results in better milk production, said Stephen Green.

Well supported: Stephen and Kerri Green have been pleased with their early dealings with Bega Cheese.

PAGE 6 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 25, 2010

Above: Boxes of produce: Robert Davey, Claire Hoffman, JulieAnne Trease, Gil Freeman, Bill Statham, Meredith Freeman, Gina Colwing, Susan Davies, Les Guiffoyle, Sid Cowling and Liz Jones.

Right: Packing chillis: Outtrim resident Susan Davies at work.

A great concept ONE of the growers providing food for Grow Lightly is Gippsland Country Herbs.

Sid and Gina Cowling grow vegetables, fruit and garlic on their property at Outtrim.

They have about an acre of vegetables and a half acre orchard.

As well as supplying Grow Lightly, the Cowlings also send food to the organic store and organic cooking school in Koonwarra, Sid said.

“In the summer we’ve supplied half a tonne of zucchini, tomatoes, beans, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and pumpkins,” he said.

“Then we have two small orchards so we also supply apples, pears, plums and grapefruit.”

In the late 1980s the Cowlings were living in Melbourne and searching for a South Gippsland property, taking particular note of soils and rainfall.

Sid said they purchased at Outtrim in 1995.

“We deliberately chose a piece of ground you could do something with rather than admire the view,” he said.

“We originally started to grow medicinal herbs, but you are competing against cheap imports so returns aren’t all that great.”

Then they began cultivating half an acre of market garden. Sid used to be an organic farm inspector.

“None of them are making fortunes, but with careful management you can make quite a good fist of it.

“The markets are a bit interesting. You have to be careful Fresh produce: Outtrim market gardeners Sid about cost of transport, which is why it is attractive to sell and Gina Cowling with silverbeet they grew for as much produce as we can in Gippsland rather than cart it Grow Lightly. to Melbourne.

“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 25, 2010 - PAGE 7

Ready to fill: the boxes are lined up the side of the Green Door Café in Korumburra.

By Chris Brown EARLY on Sunday morning, while most South Gippslanders are still sleeping, a dedicated group gather at the Green Door Café in Korumburra.

They bring local organic fruit and vegetables to be divided into boxes, and picked up by people from around the area.

On this overcast April morning carrots, apples, potatoes, chillis, figs, silverbeet, capsicums, eggplant, beans and chestnuts are among the goodies being weighed and packed from 7.30am.

Grow Lightly co-ordinator Meredith Freeman said a core group take part in the packing.

“We have such a good time. It’s the highlight of the week for most people,” she said.

“People come in and show off whatever it is they’ve grown that week and everyone claps.”

Grow Lightly began when Meredith and Karen Halasa, who runs Green Door Café with husband Henry, worked part time in Melbourne and took boxes of surplus vegetables for their city friends.

Then small growers at places like Kongwak, Outtrim and Kardella provided extra produce, allowing more people to be supplied with fresh food.

“At the same time we thought the emphasis needed to be local and organic in that order…and as people drop off the Melbourne list they are not replaced,” Meredith said.

Grow Lightly grew through wordof-mouth and pamphlets at the Green Door Café.

On a recent Sunday 28 boxes of produce were prepared and that number is likely to increase by 20 per cent as a group from further away become involved.

As the amount of people receiving boxes has increased, so has the number of growers.

They now total 65 from throughout South Gippsland. Meredith said they provide nuts, vegetables or fruit at some stage of the year.

“Some of them have backyard vegetable gardens and some of them are small scale growers,” she said.

“For instance there is one person who has a big macadamia tree, so she’s only on our list when the macadamias are ripening and then she drops off again.

“Then there are some people I know I can ring if I’m short of something.

They grow pretty much all year round, like silver beet.”

There are two people who only supply garlic for Grow Lightly.

They buy apples from orchards at Ellinbank and Strzelecki.

“We get fruit regularly from them while apples are in season and then they drop off,” Meredith said.

In a couple of months the Freemans will make Grow Lightly even more sus-

tainable with the purchase of an all electric Citroen.

“Its comfortable range will be about 100km, so we don’t want to travel out more than 50km otherwise we might get stuck,” Meredith said.

“Not that we do a massive amount of driving at the moment. We’ve managed to get most of our produce delivered through informal networks.”

At the moment boxes cost $24 and a wide range of people purchase them.

“The last two people that rang up were people who got the phone number from the Green Door Café,” Meredith said.

“One of them was a young couple with a little child who have only been living in Korumburra for a week.”

Meredith said people often found it interesting going through the food in the box.

“It is a different approach to meal planning; instead of saying this is what I want and going to the supermarket and getting it you have to look at what you have,” Meredith said.

If they have something they’ve never seen before they smell it, taste it and work out what to do with it.

Recipes for unusual vegetables are sometimes placed in the boxes.

When chestnuts were put in the box in late April a recipe was added to the box.

It thrilled one buyer who loves the nut. Another unusual addition was tromboncino squash, which resembles a trombone.

“I’m sure people think, ‘oh my goodness, what is this?’ But there’s plenty of good food in it,” Meredith said. “We’re really looking forward to putting white sapotes in the boxes.

We have two trees that are laden with them, but they aren’t ripe yet.

Fresh and organic: Claire Hoffman from Ellinbank brought a box of eggplants.

“I think most people would use them fresh, they have a similar texture to avocado, but they are sweeter.”

Grow Lightly hopes to establish a base in Korumburra, which will have a cool store.

It could also allow the creation of a wholesale operation to provide food for bulk buyers.

Meredith and husband Gil have lived at Kardella permanently for six years.

“We’ve had interests here for 25 years,” she said.

Their property has been certified organic for 10 years and specialises in Australian native foods such as mountain pepper. But they also produce fruit, vegetables and eggs.

“We’re interested in expanding the range of food plants people here grow and eat, so we’re not just limited in the fruit department to apples and oranges, and bananas given we can’t grow them down here anyway,” Meredith said.

“There are lots of other things we can grow that will fill us up and make us happy and maybe we can find we can live without bananas after all.”

Meredith hasn’t bought a banana in more than six years.

“They don’t grow here, so if you’re into local food that hasn’t had to travel a long distance you can’t eat them,” she said.

“We’re not saying you can’t eat bananas, for parents with young children they are such a wonderful food, we just say we can’t provide bananas.”

Grow Lightly is always seeking more growers.

They don’t need to supply a large amount of produce regularly, but it does need to be grown without chemicals.

Anyone interested can contact Meredith on 5659 8238 or growlightly@dcsi.net.au

PAGE 8 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 25, 2010

Going for garlic WHO would have thought people would be lining up to buy garlic, but that’s exactly what happens at Farmers Markets throughout Gippsland when Leon Trembath and partner Cathy set up a stall.

Leon has been lovingly growing garlic high up in the hills of Madalya, 35 kilometres north west of Yarram for 15 years.

While this year has been a shocker for the Trembaths, with a total crop failure, they aren’t about to give up just yet.

Losing their garlic crop they have worked so hard to cultivate was a heartbreaking setback, but they are determined to start again from scratch and rebuild their stocks.

Leon said he has no idea why the garlic crop failed.

“Perhaps it was the long dry spell, who knows? But it means we won’t be out selling our garlic this year as we have none to sell, it will take a couple of seasons to get back to where we were,” he said.

Leon has lived on the property aptly named ‘Churinga’ meaning everlasting and eternal for 19 years, growing garlic for 15 of those.

“I started off just growing enough for our own use, but in recent years that has all changed thanks to my daughter Melissa, who took my dips with her to a farmers market once and they just walked off her stall,”

he said.

“Melissa loves to cook, is well known for her specialty dips which she sells at the Farmers Markets around Gippsland.

“One day she said to me, ‘Dad, give me some of your garlic to sell,’ which I did and so the story began.

“People are telling us they want something with taste and bite, which ours does.

“When they buy our garlic they are buying the whole garlic experience.

Leon said the garlic plantation usually takes up 20 beds, each bed being six to eight metres long and 1.2 metres wide.

“We plant them out anytime from early March right through to June,” he said.

This year the planting will be much quicker as due to the last garlic crop failing they only harvested enough to plant out two beds.

The couple does most of the work, preparing and planting out the beds themselves, although they often get workers from overseas come knocking on their door looking for work.

“Just this year we had three workers arrive from Sweden and England,” Leon said.

“We provide them with a bed and food. They are always such interesting people and really enjoy their time in our part of the world,” he said.

While Leon and Cathy may not have garlic to sell this year, their property is not idle, as they produce enough to feed a large family from their amazing vegetable garden.

Sweet garlic: Leon Trembath’s garlic is famous throughout Gippsland.

Garlic and basil pesto GARLIC is a must have ingredient in every cook’s kitchen and can be used to season everything from soups to sauces.

It is available year round since it keeps and

stores well without drying out too quickly.

Ingredients 2 garlic cloves, peeled, 1/4 cup pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, 1 medium bunch fresh basil tablespoons of the oil that the sun dried tomatoes was in.

Method Place the garlic in a food processor or blender, add the pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes, and process until the ingredients are combined. Add the basil, including all the soft stalks. Process until the basil is chopped and the mixture combines. Finally add the sun dried tomato oil and process until combined. This delicious sauce should be fine and slightly grainy in texture. This is perfect to serve with pasta and some tasty parmesan cheese.

“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 25, 2010 - PAGE 9

Koony clean skins

By Matt Dunn THEY call them “Koony Clean Skins”.

But Stuart and Veronica Greaves are not growing grapes on their Koonwarra property, rather breeding sheep that sheer themselves just by walking around and feeding.

The fully shedding, easy care prime meat sheep, are a mixed breed that comes from Wiltipoll rams over Wiltshire/Dorper cross ewes.

“They’re a cross between the Dorper and the Wiltshire. Wiltshires are an old English breed and Dorpers are a South African breed,” Stuart explained.

“The Dorpers are fat, dumpy sheep with a big bum. The Wiltis are a bit rangier.”

The resultant coupling has produced a sheep that is prized for its lean tasty meat.

The Greaves’ are using Wiltipoll rams to breed the horns out of the sheep too.

Stuart believes the Wilti cross is “better suited to South Gippsland’s wet climate” because their feet can handle the wet conditions better.

“The Wiltis have come from England, whereas South Africa is obviously a lot drier,” he said.

Stuart said one of the prime aims of the breeding program was to breed “clean shedding sheep”.

Success seems very close, with only a few of the herd not living up to expectations. Those that don’t drop their wool like they should are culled.

While Veronica said she thought she’d be picking up wool all over the paddocks, it has either sunk into the soil or been scattered by birds. Whatever the explanation, there is little evidence of it around.

The sheep are bred strictly for meat, with the Greaves’ selling to the market at Koonwarra. While they have sold so far on a relatively small scale, they believe there are bigger things to come.

Stuart said his sheep boasted a number of benefits. Aside from the fact that they did not need to be shorn, these low

maintenance animals do not need crutching, mulesing or chemical jetting for fly strike or lice.

Aside from breeding self-sheering sheep, with the help of Landcare (the couple are members of the Nerrena group) the Greaves’ have planted more than 7700 native trees on their property during the 12 years they have been there.

With the carefully selected native trees has come the return too of animals that had not been around for some time.

“Wallabies have come back. They like this denser bush. They’re pretty shy animals. Over time I think more koalas will come too,” Stuart said.

Veronica nodded her head, pointing toward a copse of trees lining the road to their house.

“Quite often you’ll see koalas now,” she said.

Stuart said: “We’ve got goannas here, because we’ve got the right habitat for them. We’ve got echidnas and a heap of different bird species, like the Azure Kingfisher, which was here recently.

We’ve only seen them for the first time in the last couple of years.”

The Greaves’ are committed to the ethos of walking lightly upon the earth. To this end they favour using pig or chicken manure over chemical fertilizers, as recommended by Kevin Hughes, another member of the Nerrena Landcare group.

Stuart said the organic matter in the animal manure helps “promotes healthy soil biology” and being non water soluble (unlike conventional fertilizer) it is less prone to being washed into water ways etc.

“Using Kevins program we have also begun adding Microbes to the soil to help create Humus which in turn helps to improve the soil structure and break down the hard pan/sub-soil, which leads to a deeper, healthier, more productive soil.

And being productive is what the Greaves’ are all about - being productive by making sure everything is doing its rightful thing, whether it be microbes, sheep or returning Azure Kingfishers.

Happy at home: the Greaves’ are in their element down on the farm.

What are ewes looking at: the Koony Clean Skins are known for their lean, tasty meat.

PAGE 10 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 25, 2010

By Brad Lester

A L PA C A S continue to co ggrow in popularity, with u more than m 300 3 breeders in Gippsland and the th Mornington Peninsula.

Penin Small landholdthe ers are demanding de aniSouth American Am pets and mals for wool, w to protect sheep. s A recent recen series of open days by b the Victoof the rian Eastern Region R AssoAustralian Alpaca A attracted substantial ciation attracte interest. Stud operators are further sales and expecting furth enquiry. enjoying One of the breeders bree the interest in alpacas alpac is Brigitte View Kat who operates Alternate A Alpacas at Mirboo North with husband Keith.

They run 140 alpacas on their 70 acre property, building the th herd since moving from Melbourne nine years ago.

“I’ve always wanted to have alpacas so when we bought this land, I said I wanted two alpacas and my husband said. nearly fainted,” Brigitte sa The animals are suited suite to smaller bite grass properties as they are cheap, che rather than pull it out, and an don’t drink large volumes of water. padded, resulting in Alpaca feet are padded and are easy to minimal impact on soil an handle. Even a woman can get her arm

Fine selection: a variety of breeding alpacas comprise the flock.

around one, Brigitte said.

Fencing is simply a matter of erecting six strands of plain wire and unless they are hungry, alpacas will generally remain in their designated paddock, which is typically not too big; just large enough to run around in.

Unlike cattle, alpacas can be left to fend for themselves while owners have a short break, generally only requiring ample water and maybe a bale of hay.

“For parents who do not really want to have a dog for their children, even on an acre they should have alpacas because you can halter train them, you can cuddle them and they last 20 years if they’re looked after.

“They are easy to look after. They are quiet and you can take them to shows. They are friendly and come when you call them. They are peaceful and you can enjoy having them in your garden.”

Alpacas are widely regarded for their inclination to guard sheep from foxes but they are now becoming sought after by sheep breeders in the Victorian High Country to guard against marauding wild dogs.

“They bond with the sheep and go around the paddocks and get rid of the foxes and also the dogs.”

The Kats have enjoyed success at national alpaca shows, winning first and second prizes, and placing fourth at a Royal Melbourne Show.

“It’s difficult to do well at shows because some of the big breeders spend hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The Kats breed the huacaya variety of alpaca; the other is suri. Huacayas have a denser fleece, similar to sheep, whereas suris produce long dangly ringlets.

“The fleece is beginning to be more valued and is now being used by carpet makers.

They’re using it as it comes rather than dying it from white. It’s expensive carpet that feels a bit like silk.

“It’s quite a challenge to breed the perfect alpaca. You need perfect confirmation and a

“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 25, 2010 - PAGE 11

fine fleece, under 20 microns. The fleece needs to be dense and it needs to have crimps everywhere.”

Brigitte uses the fleece to make felt and create clothing and scarves. Her bright, outlandish pieces are sold through the farmgate and she could offer her work at Melbourne markets.

According to the Australian Alpaca Association, the animals have provided food, fuel and clothing to the Inca civilisation of South America for more than 5000 years.

Able to tolerate harsh climates, alpaca farming in South America is concentrated around southern Peru, Bolivia and Chile, where numbers total about three million.

The first alpaca imported to Australia was in 1989 and the animal has thrived in the temperate climate.

By 2001, there were about 40,000 alpacas in Australia and the industry is now focused on breeding.

Limited imports now come from South America to restrict competition with Australian breeders, however Australian and New Zealand breeders share research information about breeding and fibre Close bond: Brigitte Kat prefers to become closely acquainted production.

with her stock.

Grand location: Keith and Brigitte Kat breed alpacas against a spectacular view towards Leongatha.

Above and left: Home grown: Brigitte Kat creates felt clothing from fleeces produced by her stock.

PAGE 12 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 25, 2010

VLE Leongatha will have a capacity of 4000 cattle when the current round of construction is completed.

Last week water troughs were being installed for new holding pens.

There will be 172 selling pens, and an extra two loading ramps and 12 holding pens completed soon.

The VLE’s Graham Osborne said the company was putting money back into the facility as it was supported by producers.

Even more work is possible before Christmas including new scales.

He said it was the biggest undercover cattle selling facility in Victoria and possibly Australia.

“We’re pretty happy with it…,” Mr Osborne said.

“I’d just like to see the beef and dairy farmers make a bit more money. We all need to be profitable.”

The Star was at last week’s store sale to capture some of the colour and cattle.

In action: SEJ’s Neil Park.

Meeniyan family: Sonya and Steven White with children Shea, Blake and Lara.

Catching up: Ivor McLennan from Nerrena and Andy Grant from Landmark Wonthaggi.

Checking it out: Michelle and Brendan Peters of Mirboo North.

VLE Leongatha: the saleyards was full of cattle, and people.

Auctioneer: James Kyle for Elders.

Store sale: Elders Leongatha’s Nick Lafferty and Pat Daly from Archies Creek.

Perusing the cattle: David Howard from Koo Wee Rup was looking to buy.

Thursday morning: Rodwell’s agent Damien Minogue and Andrew Nicoll from Fish Creek.