MEET THE PRODUCER

Ben Geard, Old Cow, TASMANIA Ben Geard from Jordan Valley, Tasmania is a dairy farmer and beef producer (he has sheep, too). Years ago, when a chef friend told him the best steak he’d ever eaten was from an older dairy cow, he took note. Then after a conversation in 2017 with Analiese Gregory, the head chef at Franklin restaurant in Hobart, he took action. “It’s not something I’d ever contemplated before,” Ben says. “Both chefs said that the flavour was amazing.” Ben’s new project Old Cow is part of a worldwide trend (and an age-old Basque custom). While most of the beef we eat in Australia is yearling (12 to 18 months), there is a growing appreciation for ‘mature’ beef. So now when Ben retires his dairy cows, usually when they’re 10 to 15 years old, he puts a few onto pasture to gain weight. The animals are slaughtered locally and the large primal cuts returned to him to be dry-aged in the converted coolroom on the farm. “Chefs get very excited by the 120-day aged beef, but for me, the sweet spot seems to be 60 days. I also think a lifetime of eating pasture, lucerne hay, rolled barley, lupins, and spent brewer’s grains from the Cascade Brewery has something to do with the flavour.” 0408 217 685. Follow @oldcow_co on Instagram.