05 Nov

Friday 5 with a Council Member!

Today’s Council Member is Treasurer, Stuart Greenwood.

Who are you and where are you from? Stuart Greenwood, Queensland. While my background is in accounting I have always had a keen interest in the land having been brought up on a small farm near Quirindi on the Liverpool Plains, North West NSW. Dare I say that whilst moving to Queensland some 14 years ago, I have retained the NSW heritage and been on the receiving end of State of Origin results more often than not. I remain the eternal optimist for the current season despite our loss in game 1.   

Di and I operate a small stud (smaller through ongoing seasonal challenges) of around 80 females near Pittsworth on the Darling Downs. I now work part time for The North Australian Pastoral Company (NAPCO). As a result I get to spend both my work and home time with or around cattle. Pure bliss! NAPCO operates a feedlot at Dalby which takes in cattle from its northern pastoral operations to fatten for Woolworths, JBS and also an increasing volume to its own brand, Five Founders. An interesting link to Red Angus exists with many IBR bulls used in the formation of the NAPCO composite herd. There is rarely a black animal to be seen in the feedlot highlighting success in genetic selection for colour important for suitability in the hotter northern regions.

What’s the best thing about Red Angus? I would probably rate the breed benefits as including their ease of handling and temperament. Di originally picked a Red Angus bull to put over some Charbray heifers after being impressed by their quietness at Farmfest many years ago and the passion for them showed by long term member Milton Fowler.

What developments would you like to see in Red Angus in the next 10 years? We have a great product we are all passionate about. However we cannot stand still and genetic comparison technology means we need to move with the times. As a small society we simply do not have a significant marketing budget, we need to be innovative in how we collaborate as members to get our message out with the data to prove it noting its not just a Society responsibility. The increasing use of  online auction platforms presents an opportunity for larger numbers of our bulls to be offered in one place to meet demands of commercial operators.

Favourite cut of meat and/or meal? Ribeye on the Bone – here’s a couple of ours. I like rare to medium-rare so these thick cuts cook up a treat on a good hot plate.

Who’s going to win the 2020 State of Origin series? NSW – as above!

Here’s a photo of me with a cow. Delivered to work as everyone there knew how much I like cows. 

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