Impulse purchase leads to genetics innovation

A cycling accident and an impulse purchase have led Mark Barnett back to farming and to genetics innovation that could revolutionise how consumers view Angus beef.

Mark grew up on a farm near Launceston and saw how his father John led the Angus society through the significant change from low to high-performance cattle.

Now Mark hopes to make a similar impact with BarnettAngus and RedEarthGenetics, a boutique and niche operation with a focus on producing elite carcasses.

At 62, Mark is enjoying his second incarnation as a farmer after a 30-year hiatus.

After studying animal genetics in the United States, Mark returned to run the family farm before selling and moving into the technology world, developing an application for health care and writing a tech magazine.

His cycling accident about five years ago led to a career reset during his two-year recovery from a brain hemorrhage.

“I ended up on my back not knowing what to do with myself and thought I’d develop a business to help farmers understand their energy mix and how renewable technologies can help,” he said.

Mark saw the venture as a way to get back into agriculture and the more he visited farms and talked about cattle breeding, the keener he became to strengthen those links.

A visit with wife Carol to a Yarra Valley farmer in Victoria was the catalyst for a return to the land.

“We had no intention of buying before we went there but I saw the cattle and they were so good I thought we’d start a donor program and work out where we’d put them later.”

They bought three cows, one of which, Strathewen Regent Mittagong J23, had exceptional appearance and figures and continued to improve with each progeny.

“I got a lot of embryos from her and sold her to a colleague who has since on-sold her. She’s had four owners and over 40 progeny. One of her daughters sold for $17,500 and I sold a half interest in five daughters for $50,000.”

While living in Launceston and continuing to run the energy business, Mark realised the quality of the cattle was too good just to treat as a hobby.

“We went from thinking about playing golf to leasing land and having an embryo cattle business,” he said.

While not aiming to compete with the big genetics companies, Mark has developed a semen and embryo company called RedEarthGenetics which has a niche market based around custom breeding with a focus on high-quality carcasses.

“If someone wants to start or build a herd, we can provide the embryos, mate them to bulls of their choice or our bulls or provide semen,” he said.

Mark believes the Angus market needs to focus on high-quality carcasses and will head in that direction.

“The Angus breed has the capability to compete with Wagyu but it hasn’t focussed on that of late. We have the genetic variation within the breed to have high marbling, high weight-gain animals that the premium market will be attracted to.

“Our genetics are carcass-maker cattle and consumers will notice that elite quality. We look for a balanced scenario of fertility and being able to get the calf on the ground, but quality carcass values lead to a positive customer experience, which is where Wagyu has done very well.”

The 150-acre farm at Westbury is home to 30 cows, including seven in an embryo-IVF program, with 150 embryos in the tank. “We think IVF will become the dominant reproductive technology in all animal breeding,” Mark said. “It’s better for the cow and you can do it for much longer than a normal embryo transplant program and you can collect embryos even when the animal is pregnant.”

Mark is totally dedicated to regenerative farming, increasing biodiversity, and improving soil carbon.

“The first year the pastures were destroyed by grubs but this year is much better,” Mark said. “It is dryland farming so we have to be very conscious of our soil quality and pasture management.”

“Farmers are getting more aware every year about the challenges of climate change and the Government’s lack of action has driven a grassroots desire to do better.”

The return to breeding has reinvigorated Mark, and it complements his energy business. “It has helped me to understand more about modern agriculture so I can have more meaningful conversations with farmers about energy,” he said.

BarnettAngus will hold its first embryo sale on March 24 and Mark expects strong interest.

“In this environment, people are looking to replace and build their herds with good quality genetics. If they like our cows – which I’m sure they will when they see them - they will want to buy our genetics. We have embryos available but we’re also happy to custom-mate cows to bulls of their choice.”