Silvan Park: Dutch farmers’ foster prize Belted Galloway cattle

A Dutch couple’s dramatic switch from commercial flowers to breeding prized Belted Galloway cattle has led to show ring success and farm expansion.

Moving from flower farming to breeding Belted Galloways has been a “lifestyle” choice for two Murrindindi farmers.

The Weekly Times first interviewed Hettie Biersteker and Andre Groot when they first started their Silvan Park Belted Galloways stud six years ago.

The Dutch couple were flower farmers for 17 years with a commercial operation at Silvan, before they decided to turn their “hobby” with pet cows into a stud herd.

They have grown their stud to 75 breeders and nearly doubled their farm from 48ha to 87ha after purchasing a neighbouring property.

“The flowers were really a commercial operation whereas this is more of a lifestyle,” Hettie said.

“It was a big learning curve but I’ve always enjoyed that and still do. I’ve had a lot of very good people around me who were willing to teach me and help me out.”

Hettie prioritised temperament within the herd, and started adding more colour with red and dun coats alongside black in the herd and in their new showing team.

“In the past year we’ve taken showing a lot more seriously, we’ve been going to the Royal Shows and got into serious preparation,” she said.

“We start ideally two months before the show with the halter training, that must be done and they are put on very good feed so they’ll be in a nice chubby shape.”

She said they went to Melbourne Royal, Geelong, Whittlesea, Yea, Canberra and Bathurst, NSW, shows in the past year.

Hettie said they won the supreme Belted Galloways exhibit at Canberra with a now-retired cow and her calf, while a dun-coloured bull won supreme Galloway family exhibit at Bathurst.

Their next show would be Melbourne Royal in late September with a junior bull, senior bull, junior heifer and senior cow and calf.

She purchased semen from the UK for the first time, to be used this spring with calves due in two week.

They started growing their own feed three to four years ago with second-hand equipment, and Hettie said they oversowed paddocks and used fertiliser for the “best possible chance” of growth. She said they had enough feed to take the herd through to spring.

“It’s been a pretty tough season but we’re lucky enough to still have our own hay and silage, the girls have a bit less to eat but they’re still in very good condition,” she said.

“Belties are also known to do much better on less feed.”