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Client profile: Knowla Livestock

SESL is proud to be associated with Knowla Livestock, a leading cattle stud and meat producer in the Barrington Tops area of NSW. Ted and James Laurie have been SESL clients for several years and we are proud to consider them friends.

Knowla has an enviable reputation in the district, and even around Australia, as an innovative cattle enterprise and as a breeder of top-quality sires.

Ted and James represent the fifth generation of the Laurie family to live at Knowla, since the family settled there in the 1880s. The brothers have been farming since the early 1980s.

The brothers have a reputation as top cattle judges. They’ve been judging cattle since they were teenagers, and appear regularly at numerous agricultural shows in Australia and the UK.

In 2000 they were awarded the title of Hunter Beef Producer of the Year. Earlier this year they were selected in The Land’s “10 Of The Best” series, the only beef enterprise featured.

One of the biggest challenges they face on Knowla is weed control, made difficult by the steepness of the terrain. Maximising production and making best use of their natural resources while minimising costs also pose challenges, especially as the general terms of trade of agriculture have declined over the last 10 to 15 years.

Given the difficult terrain, the Lauries introduced pasture improvement by helicopter in the mid 1980s. This practice has since been taken up by other growers in the district. To stay abreast of the latest developments around the world, the brothers rely on both traditional print media and the Internet.

SESL’s soil testing has revealed that Knowla’s soils have low phosphorus levels and low pH. SESL’s advice in this situation is to apply lime. However, as most of Knowla is steep, it is dangerous to apply lime by tractor and very inefficient to apply it by air. The Lauries’ solution is to plant acid-tolerant species. Historically they have applied chemical fertilisers: 125 kg/ha of single super on most of their open grazing country every 2 years, and high-analysis fertilisers on high-performance pastures. In addition, they have been trying to maximise the retention of organic matter through more programmed grazing management.

Ultimately the Lauries aim to ensure a sustainable family operation that maximises returns while minimising their impact on the environment.

Forthcoming cattle sale

Knowla is holding its annual cattle sale on 22 August – less than 2 weeks away – at 1 p.m. at their Kanangara property, in Kia Ora, just outside Gloucester. For information, call James Laurie on 02 6558 5519, e-mail jameslaurie@bigpond.com, or view their on-line catalogue.

Further reading

The Land

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