Technical annual report 2000-01
Dept. of Regional Development, Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources technical annual report; Department of Regional Development, Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources technical and annual report; Reports; PublicationNT; Technical bulletin (Northern Territory. Dept. of Primary Industry and Fisheries) ; no. 295
2001-10
Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).
Date:2001-10
English
Agriculture -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals; Fisheries -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals
Dept. of Primary Industry and Fisheries
Darwin
Technical bulletin (Northern Territory. Dept. of Primary Industry and Fisheries) ; no. 295
0158-2763
Check within Publication or with content Publisher.
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/223369
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/687151
Technical Annual Report 2000/01 33 SUBPROGRAM: Livestock Management PROJECT: TenderBuff Development and Supply Project Project Officers: B Lemcke, E Cox and L Huth Location: Beatrice Hill Farm Objective: To supply and promote the TenderBuff Quality Assurance program for local and interstate markets. Background: The TenderBuff program was initially started to provide higher returns to the producer whose buffalo numbers were small, post - BTEC. It was seen as a serious substitute for the feral fillet market to restaurants using a much larger range of cuts. DPIF runs the project in conjunction with the NT Buffalo Industry Council and provides the personnel to do the QA and branding of carcases at the abattoir. The price remains at $3.10 per kg hot standard carcase weight (HSCW) paid to the producer. There are five specifications to comply with to enable the carcase to receive the TenderBuff strip brand. With the destocking of the Coastal Plains Research Station, supplies are now sourced mainly from commercial properties and agisted at Beatrice Hill Farm to maintain a steady supply. Beatrice Hill Farm with its extensive floodplain and ponded pastures is able to fatten stock all year round and is only a 45 minute drive from the Litchfield abattoir, well placed to supply the market. Few producers are yet able to turnoff directly into this market without using agistment to improve quality. From November 1999 to January 2001 Beatrice Hill farm has supplied the Brunei supermarket trade to help keep up supplies. From March 2001 onwards, Beatrice Hill Farm will concentrate on producing TenderBuff, and will send only non-conforming stock to the Brunei trade. TenderBuff has lower cholesterol and fat content than beef, both of which can be used as positive marketing factors. Method: The current specifications are: 150-300 kg HSCW 3-12 mm fat at p8 site No permanent teeth Electrically stimulated carcase pH of muscle after 18 hours < 5.8 DPIF staff monitor the TenderBuff animals through the abattoir on slaughter day and also carry out the chiller assessment the following day. The producer pays the abattoir a kill fee of $65. The discount grid determines the sale price to the wholesaler of animals, which do not comply with the five specifications. There have been only six Riverine bulls in the market over this 12 months. Significant numbers of agisted swamp buffalo have been put into the TenderBuff system. This is mainly due to the younger age at marketing (better tenderness) and better muscling and yield. Excess fat can be a problem with the higher Riverine content, particularly in females and may require better monitoring of fat depth and selling at a lower liveweight. Sufficient fat in Swamp males from agistment sources for the July to November period has been a