FOR many vineyard owners, the prospect of cattle getting into their vines would be a nightmare, but for Macclesfield cattle producers and winemakers John and Margaret Struik, this practice is an important part of their farming program.
Hereford and Angus cattle graze pastures on the 93-hectare property for most of the year, and in winter, some of the herd is allowed into the 6ha vineyard.
"Generally at the end of the season we let cattle out into the vineyards," John said.
"You've got to be a bit careful about that - it's only the quiet heifers that go out there. Your typical Black Angus bull would not walk down the rows - he would walk through the rows - but the heifers tend to move down one row then turn and come back up the next one just like the pruner would.
"I think it's a natural way to run a vineyard in some ways. I know a lot of people use sheep in there, and most people would be wary of using cattle in a vineyard but we're got quite a few quiet girls that are there specifically for that purpose and they also train calves how to behave."
The Struiks started their Bendbrook wine brand in 1997, and began processing and selling small amounts of beef run on the property a few years later.
"We found that there was some demand from restaurants for beef that also came from a vineyard," John said.
"We grew on that a little bit and that's where we started to get a little bit more involved with the beef brand."
Running cattle in the vineyard benefits the wine and beef side of the business.
"When we bred from the first cattle we'd put in the vineyard we had some initial difficulty because they were so fat, but the meat that came off the ones that had been in the vineyard and had been eating some cabernet was very good," he said.
"We use very little in the way of herbicide sprays because of the cattle. We do have cattle out there for quite a long time - it's only when we see the first signs of budding that we take them out.
"During winter we don't go in the vineyard at all. They clean up fruit that may otherwise have some bit of disease at the end of the season - that's all taken out quite efficiently - plus they fertilise naturally.
"I would stress the point to anybody who is thinking about putting cattle in a vineyard - you've got to have quiet, trained ones. If you've got that then life's a breeze - they do a remarkably good job of looking after everything out there."
The Bendbrook beef brand has grown substantially since its inception, and is now sold to many of Adelaide's well-known restaurants.
The farm is home to 80 breeders and one bull, and John believes his land is ideally suited to cattle production.
"If you're looking for livestock from a pretty reliable area, southern South Australia is probably as good as you're going to get anywhere. There're not too many extremes," he said.
"Being in a southern cool area like we are we don't have too many feed issues. We don't bring in anything apart from our own pasture or in this particular year we did supplement with hay.
"We generally look for good lucerne clover hay from growers in the area. This season will be interesting - there should be a fair bit around this year, but last year it tightened up very quickly."
* Full report in Stock Journal, September 19 issue, 2013.
