Family’s venture in cattle sector grows
‘Hacker’ and pharmacist raise cattle and family
HOW do a self-proclaimed computer ‘hacker’ and a pharmacist from Sydney end up raising beef?
Ben and Sarah Eisel moved to Inglewood 10 years ago after purchasing the Inglewood pharmacy.
“I got to a level I was happy with in my technical pursuits,” Mr Eisel said.
“So I said to my wife Sarah I’d follow her out to Inglewood to pursue her dreams of buying the pharmacy.
“I suppose that’s when I found my passion for cattle.”
Mr and Mrs Eisel bought a property and started their sprout-fed beef operation, Woodspring Farm.
The couple run 150 head of cattle on their 142 hectare property.
“We have three cattle operations,” Mr Eisel said.
“We have a breeding program where we turn off calves every year. The steers are put into the fattening program.
“We have a 150 day sprout-fattening program for our steers.
“Any boys that don’t fit into our meat standards we will sell at our Warwick sale yards
“Then we have our boutique beef operation.”
Woodspring Farm has vertically integrated to have its own butchering program on farm.
“Our beef are bred, fed and butchered on farm,” Mr Eisel said.
“We slaughter at the abattoir in Millmerran.”
Mr Eisel said production has been pretty steady and they have been processing two animals a fortnight.
“We want to get to a point where we turn off about 10 animals a fortnight for full production,” he said.
“What’s most important to us is maintaining a really high-quality level.
“I want to focus on families who are interested in getting the healthiest tastiest meat that they can.”
The focus of Woodspring Farm is to look after the land as well as their animals to produce the healthiest meat possible.
The Eisel family steer away from using pesticides, chemicals and hormones in their production.
“We use rock mineral fertilisers instead of water soluble fertilisers. They help to stimulate microbial activity in which improves the health of the soil,” Mr Eisel said.
“One of my biggest passions is recreating natural soil cycles.
“Sustainablity and productivity need to go hand in hand. I think a holistic approach to soil productivity is something that has been missing from conventional farming.
“We focus on the soil and then we focus on the animal and I think that’s how we get the best out of our animals.”
Mr Eisel said starting his beef operation has been a massive learning curve.
“I had been exposed to farms but knew nothing about farming,” he said.
“This farm was in the Biggs family for 100 years before we bought it. When I came out here the farmer, Biggsy, he stayed here for two years after we bought the farm.
“He had been diagnosed with cancer, and he was in the process of moving house into town.
“While he was moving his house and getting things in order he was an integral part of passing on wisdom I
❝ Our beef are bred, fed and butchered on farm.
— Ben Eisel
needed for the land to run the business.”
Mr Eisel said there was some experimentation before they got the recipe for their beef exactly right.
“The first steers we pulled out of the paddock maybe they were a year older than they should have been or not fed as well as they should have been,” he said.
“Everyone knows that you put an animal on good feed you’ll see them performing better and shaping better. Animals that are well fattened are better tasting.”
Mr Eisel feeds his cattle on a mixture consisting mostly of sprouted barley.
“We harvest it and mix it with some hay and put it in a mixing wagon.
“Each animal has a different personality. Some like eating dry hay, so if you make a mix you can make sure they’re all getting a nice healthy mix.
“By using the sprouts we’re achieving in-paddock protein conversion efficiency rates that are as good as the feedlots.
“They (the cattle) have great health from being fed exceptionally good food, and then they then go on to become exceptionally good food.”
Mr Eisel said he is passionate about transparency in the agricultural industry.
“It’s why I’m part of Discover Farming,” he said.
“And why I have a cabin on my farm where people can come and stay and see what we’re all about.
“We do camping as well.” You can book a stay at Woodspring Farm via youcamp.com or Airbnb.