Couple brings rare cattle breed to the Macedon Ranges

A commitment to sustainability and a focus on regenerative agriculture has this couple growing the population of this rare British breed.

Lucy and Barnaby Olson run Larder Mouse Farm at Newham. Pictures: Supplied

One of the oldest breeds of cattle native to the United Kingdom is growing in numbers at this Macedon Ranges beef business.

At Larder Mouse Farm at Newham, Lucy and Barnaby Olson run 65 British White cattle, including 22 breeders, on just over 50ha.

Both from the UK originally, Australia provided an opportunity for Lucy and Barnaby to run their own farming business, with a big focus on regenerative processes, allowing them to make the most of the small area of land they’ve got.

They run British White cattle.

“The joys of the UK is that you can get yourself a couple of acres, but any sizeable chunks of quality land don’t really end up on the market, and if they do they (go for) silly money,” Barnaby said.

“It’s the idea of getting the most out of our paddocks, and giving the most to the cattle.”

“We want to leave this farm better than when we found it, and that’s always been really important to us,” Lucy said.

A ‘resilient, hardy and productive’ breed, the British White ticks all the boxes for what the couple wanted on the farm.

“We do rotational regenerative grazing, so having that slightly smaller animal allows it to graze for a longer period of time. They have a beautiful temperament, and are calm and quiet when we have to move them,” Lucy said.

“We also love the meat that they produce. It’s slightly slower growing, has a really lovely soft texture, and they don’t run to a huge level of fat like some traditional breeds can.”

On just over 50ha of land, the couple are committed to growing the rare breed.

But it’s also the conservation and environmental background that Lucy and Barnaby share that attracted them to the breed.

“Neither of us want to see these sorts of breeds disappear, and if we can’t find financial variability for these sorts of breeds they’re going to die out,” Lucy said.