THE new JBS Shorthorn premium branded beef offering Thousand Guineas has been impressing chefs across the East Coast since its launch last August.
Around 300 head per week have been processed for the brand, with JBS sales managers saying the current tight supply dynamics of the cattle market has actually worked in the favour of the brand, allowing it to be placed selectively.
Thousand Guineas has proven a hit in high end restaurants, presented by name on menus in major cities from Tasmania to Darwin, with plans in place to move it into Western Australian in the near future.
Denis Conroy, JBS domestic sales, said the brand was offering a unique point of difference away from more established breeds and that had proven very attractive to chefs and restaurateurs.
The flavour and texture, consistency and extremely good eye muscle cuts had added to that appeal, he said.
The brand was well and truly on track with sales targets determined from early trials, Mr Conroy said.
Thousand Guineas is also exported to foodservice customers throughout Asia, with approximately 60 per cent going overseas, predominantly into Japan and Korea - markets that traditionally value higher marbling and flavour.
It has been well received in Asia but the company’s intention was to always retain a percentage for the domestic market, Mr Conroy said.
The brand takes its name from the foundation Shorthorn sire Comet 155 who sold in 1810 for a record price of 1000 guineas in Durham, England.
To qualify for the Thousand Guineas brand, cattle need to be milk to four teeth, weigh between 380 and 500 kilograms at feedlot induction and contain a minimum of 75 per cent Shorthorn crossed with a British breed.
Producers, stud and commercial, also need to be registered with the Shorthorn Beef society who validate the integrity of the cattle entering the program.
Cattle can be consigned to JBS-owned feedlots Beef City, west of Toowoomba, Mungindi, Caroona near Quirindi and Prime City in the Riverina.
They are being fed for 130 to 140 days to Meat Standards Australian accreditation and a minimum Aus-Meat marble score of 2.
JBS Australia are now also sourcing heifers for delivery to the Thousand Guineas brand, based on the performance of the Thousand Guineas product during recent sampling and trials.
Heifers supplied are required to be minimum 75pc Shorthorn content from British breed crosses, 0 to 2 tooth, 380 to 500kgs delivered, with delivery to Prime City or Caroona.
Heifers are also required to be supplied with a pregnancy test or scanning certificate, demonstrating that they are empty, within 14 days prior to delivery. The certificate is to be supplied with the National Vendor Declaration form.
Opening new doors
For the Morgan family, who have been breeding Shorthorns in Queensland for more than a century, the brand is about opening new marketing doors while cementing a management philosophy that has served them well.
Their 8000 hectare “Myall Grove” on the Western Darling Downs is home to the world’s largest herd of performance recorded Shorthorns.
The Grove Shorthorns is owned by brothers Spencer and Godfrey, and their wives Sophie and Megan, and mother Mary.
Spencer Morgan said Thousand Guineas allowed the family to keep collecting carcase data as it was MSA graded and continue to feed that into Breedplan, allowing for better genetic describing of bulls.
“Having such integrity in the data input has allowed us to enjoy unrivalled success in the most prestigious feedlot trial, carcase competition and meat eating competition in Australia, the RNA Royal Queensland Paddock to Palate event,” he said.
The Grove has won the overall champion pen nine times and reserve champion pen another six years in the 18-year history of the event.
It has won the gain on feed section six times and been runner up twice.
MSA was introduced to the trial in 2010 and since then the Morgans have had the champion pen MSA on three occasions and reserve champion pen another two times.
During this time there have been three different feeding regimes trialled and The Grove has won from 100 to 250 days on feed.
“Myall Grove” is Brigalow/Belah melon hole country and is run in conjuction with an 8000ha property in the Westmar region, which is where most of the cows are.
The Morgans run 1300 cows all of whom are performance-recorded and single-sire joined each year.
Around 200 to 250 bulls are sold per year, with the 33rd annual on-property sale to be held next month with 123 bulls catalogued.
“Steers are basically what we don't decide to keep as bulls,” Mr Morgan said.
“In years gone, they were all oats-fattened and sold as bullocks but we decided to make the shift to selling feeder steers to AMH for feeding at Beef City.
“Then we started feeding our own steers at different feedlots, or on oats as the seasons allowed, and started targeting the MSA market.”
So when the Thousand Guineas opportunity came along, it was an obvious next step.
“As Shorthorn breeders we were finally getting price parity, or for many periods during 2016 a premium, over black steers going to JBS," Mr Morgan said.
“This is a product that has been put together by the largest beef processor in the world because their meat marketing team could see a growing place in the market for a product that would compare very favourably with the Black Angus product readily available.
“It has the ability to have a real point of difference for the many great steakhouses here and overseas.
“We have been breeding Shorthorns here at Myall Grove for over 100 years so to be able to be part of such an exciting brand is great.
“We haven’t had to adjust our breeding programe at all to try and hit the market as we have been breeding along the required traits for quite some time.”
Mr Morgan said branded products for the restaurant market would have a very bright future because they had the ability to sell a story with the product.
“The Thousand Guineas brand probably has the strongest story of all with Shorthorn being the oldest recorded herd book of all beef cattle breeds along with having a very strong history here in Australia,” he said.
“The other real positive from our perspective is that this product is owned and funded by JBS, which means their highly trained and successful marketing team are in charge of the brand’s destiny, not a breed society or a group of graziers who generally don't possess the same skill sets.”
