Arcadi Park’s Journey – Discovering & Preserving a Heritage Breed
Arcadi Park Calves. Photo Supplied
Ian and Donna Petersen weren’t terribly familiar with British Whites when they started building a herd on their property at Mutdapilly in Queensland, but they were clear about the type of breed they were looking for, and approached the decision with an open mind.
Their preference was for a niche breed over an established variety, and a British or European breed with plenty of potential for adding a lot in terms of quality in Queensland, where the tropical breeds dominate. The possibility of helping to preserve an ancient, heritage breed was also very appealing.
“I happened to make contact with a bloke in the district who is breeding Droughtmasters with British Whites (which I think is a good option up here) and I was really impressed by the look of his BW females,” Ian says.
That prompted Ian to do some research into the breed, and he found they ticked a lot of boxes. Among the appealing characteristics were temperament, carcass quality, foraging ability and colouring”, he says. “The combination of the white coat and dark pigmentation makes a lot of sense if you’re looking for a British breed that is likely to do well in the Queensland climate.”
The Petersen’s operation, Arcadi Park, is currently running an Australian Purebred (AP) British White bull (purchased from Lindsay Murray’s Dingo Stud), 21 breeding females and a crop of young heifers and steers.
“Our foundation females are mostly Angus and Murray Greys, with a handful of graded British Whites, and we are in the process of registering our first group of C grade females,” Ian says.
Both Ian and Donna are from farming families in the Gympie district, but have lived in cities all their working lives, Ian as an actuary and insurance executive and Donna in mental health and social work. After becoming empty nesters, they decided it would be nice to move to the country with a view to semi-retirement and found a place within commuting distance of Brisbane. They both still work full time – Donna in Ipswich and Ian in Brisbane’s CBD.
Ian’s father, also Ian, had a long and varied career in the cattle industry as a stock and station agent, breeder, auctioneer, buyer and livestock manager at a large meat works, and Ian says he got a lot of advice from him before committing to a British White herd. “Dad is a big fan,” he says. “He thinks they have a lot to offer.”
The couple bought the property at the end of 2023 – 100 acres of improved pasture, mostly Rhodes grass and setaria, on good blacksoil country. A Brahman stud back in the 1980s, it then became a quarter horse stud, so they’ve been busy upgrading the fences and yards to make it work for cattle.
Their main objectives include expanding the gene pool; breeding for conformation, weight gain and temperament; prioritising longevity and hence number of calves over a cow’s lifetime; and introducing desirable traits inherent to British Whites to other breeds.
Also, importantly, focusing on yield per hectare over yield per beast – not pushing for size at the expense of other traits.
“It’s still early days for us, so our observations remain limited,” Ian says. “We have certainly been impressed by the temperament of our British Whites, particularly in comparison to Angus. And, given more time, we’re hoping to confirm some of the reported benefits of the breed, such as fertility, foraging ability and the ability to produce good quality grass-fed beef.”
Finishing is not a priority yet, as the focus is on developing a herd of AP females.
“However, we do aspire to process a few steers to get visibility over the quality of the beef.”
Ian emphasises that the operation is still in its early days, effectively part-time while they lead up to retirement, but they are clear about their guiding values: “Our aim is to stick to grass-fed predominantly. We also aim to keep chemicals to a minimum, although going chemical free is not realistic or desirable from an animal welfare perspective when you are dealing with ticks and buffalo fly. Our plans include using dung beetles and fly traps to help mitigate the buffalo fly burden.”
In terms of a commercial future, the couple see their main opportunity as selling bulls into central and northern Queensland, although they’d like to dabble in paddock-to- plate further down the track, when they have more time to put into it.
“There seems to be two main markets for British Whites in Australia,” Ian says, “boutique or paddock-to-plate grass-fed beef, and providing quality British genetics to the large commercial operations in the tropical regions.
“British Whites have promise in the first category for their ability to finish well without need for intensive lot feeding, and in the second due to their foraging ability and colouring.”
Ian says that in establishing Arcadi Park he and Donna have received good support from the Society. “Lindsay Murray, Society secretary Dierdre Mikkelson and former secretary and regional neighbour Lee Gore, of Eltham Vale and Yandilla Studs have been very willing to provide advice, particularly when we were first starting. And the late Heather Britten of Emu Creek Stud donated to us her last AP cow, which is a cherished member of our herd.”
One of the main challenges facing the breed’s future in Australia is a lack of data, Ian says. “We need to look for ways to prove up some of the anecdotal benefits, such as participating in trials or carcass competitions. Having said that, I think we need to be patient (maybe easy for me to say since I’ve only been in the breed for a short while!). The real value of British Whites in Australia may be more to do with genetic diversity and a quality of beef that doesn’t necessarily fit the mass market model.”
Meanwhile, the couple, who have spent their working lives in cities from Brisbane to London, are really enjoying living in the country. “The Scenic Rim is a great district, with a good mix of farming country, scenery and tourism, and within range of Brisbane,” Ian says, and the Petersens are very happy with their ‘new’ undertaking. If the axiom “do what you love and success will follow” is indeed accurate, it seems likely that Arcadi Park will live up to its name, and become a scene of pastoral contentment.
