Merlewood produces premium angus

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Merlewood produces premium angus

MERLEWOOD Angus is committed to breeding premium black angus cattle at the Mirboo North farm, where farmers Anne Marie and Daniel Barrow will host their Second Annual Autumn Bull Sale on March 23.
The couple have been breeding black angus on their property for almost nine years and have fast established themselves as producers of premium black angus registered stud bulls on the market.
“We started off with 20 cows on 230 acres, and over the last decade we have expanded our herd to 240 black angus registered females and our land to 750 acres,” Mrs Barrow said.
“For our second Annual Autumn Bull Sale we are excited to be bringing 35 bulls to the market.”
The seed stock producers have built a strong herd using a combination of embryo and artificial insemination programs.
Merlewood currently has 40 heifers on its artificial insemination program and 80 cows, along with an ET mob of about 30 recipient cows.
“Producing leading industry black angus bulls is something my husband and I are really passionate about. We worked hard to perfect our procedures before we looked to grow our business and it has really helped us to expand with ease,” Mrs Barrow said.
“We have a 75 percent success rate for fertility in the artificial insemination program and 60 per cent success in the extensive embryo program.”
Merlewood Angus will host its Annual Autumn Bull Sale on Friday, March 23 on property.
“We hosted our inaugural Annual Autumn Bull Sale last year and we were blown away by the results. Our bulls sold in the top five percent price bracket for their breed and the feedback we are getting from the market place is that people have come to expect a quality product from our farm. This makes us very proud of our achievements,” Mrs Barrow said.
“There is an expectation for us to do well and we are both nervous and excited about our upcoming bull sale. The excitement and nerves are different to this time last year.
“Once again our annual bull sale is an open cry auction and there will be 35 bulls on sale. Our long term goal is to have 60 bulls go under the hammer by the time we reach the milestone of our fifth Annual Autumn Bull Sale.”
Merlewood Angus sells mainly across Gippsland, however some buyers have purchased from interstate to ensure they are investing in the quality product.
“Quality is something we are really passionate about and we work hard to maintain the relationships we have built with our clients,” Mrs Barrow said.
“When farmers buy from us they know they are buying into an ongoing relationship.”
While angus beef continues to meet premium prices at the sale yards, the team at Merlewood Angus do not rest on-farm but actively engage with clients, other angus stud producers and the wider community at the VLE, on-farms and via social media.
The Barrows and their staff curate online weekly content where they upload video footage of what it is like to work in seed stock production.
“Social media has been a great way for us to engage with our clients and those interested in what we do here,” Mrs Barrow said.
“I am from Scotland so I am biased towards the black angus breed. Whilst living in Europe, my husband and I enjoyed eating quality black angus beef and when it came to choosing cattle for our farm, black angus was the obvious choice for us. When we see them in our paddock they make us smile. That, along with their marketability and eating experience, makes for a fantastic product.”

Top studs: Anne Marie stands on her Mirboo North property with some of her premium angus bulls at Merlewood Angus.

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Posted by on Mar 6 2018. Filed under Rural News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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