Sustainability is at the heart of what we do min read

Sustainability is at the heart of what we do

This place where we are here now, (Glenormiston) this is paradise to me. We love the land and where we do business with a great deal of passion. And that's not just me, it's everybody in this business. Allan Cooney – CEO, NAPCo

With a 145 year history and a plan to be continuing on for at least another 145 years, sustainability is at the heart of what NAPCO does.

By grazing land appropriately, looking after the land, looking after their people and looking after the communities they are producing responsible beef, and providing a high quality product for us to eat.

NAPCo has been focused on reducing their carbon footprint for some time. Since 1980 they’ve reduced their emissions intensity by 43% and they have done that through:

• Herd efficiency – by actively working towards improving the genetics of the herd from one generation to the next. This has resulted in a herd that is more efficient, with the cattle reaching a heavier weight at a younger age.
• Solar conversion – NAPCo is converting to solar energy across it’s properties with Glenormiston and Coorabulka already 100% converted
• Methane reducing feed additives – still in a trial stage, they are partnering with a company called Royal DSM to produce and provide Bovaer® to feedlot cattle. This effectively stops cattle from belching up as much methane.

NAPCO’s Five Founders beef is so popular because the cattle grow up in wide open rangelands for two years, they're well looked after and they're respected. All of that ultimately results in better beef. It's also carbon neutral as an added benefit. James Carson – GM, Intensive Production and Sales, NAPCo

We love our cattle and treat them with respect

NAPCO has a ‘whole of life’ focus when it comes to animal wellbeing.

They are the caretakers of their animals right from birth and have a keen focus on ensuring each animal is cared for and respected every day of their life.
Cattle are a herd animal. They form social groups and make mates for life…just like us. At NAPCo, they know that cattle are happier and do much better throughout their life it they are kept with their mates right throughout their life.

We all actually love these cattle and we treat them with enormous amount of respect. We work really hard to make sure that every day that they're in our system is a good day. Allan Cooney – CEO, NAPCo.

Soil carbon

One of the things NAPCo has in abundance is soil.

Whilst soil carbon technology is still relatively infant, there is a big opportunity for NAPCo to sequester more carbon into the soil through things such as planting different types of legume-based crops.

Carbon sequestration is the capturing, removal and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the earth's atmosphere.

By focusing on soil carbon, NAPCo will looking to sequester a lot more carbon from the atmosphere and effectively turn their soil into a big carbon sink.

They have been doing a lot of work investigating the potential of this carbon pathway and hope to have the ability to sequester a lot more carbon in the soil.

A calm person produces a calm beast

A calm person produces a calm beast and that is important the mental state of every animal within NAPCo’s care.

They train all staff coming through on the importance of being calm and treating the cattle with care, respect and without putting them under unnecessary stress.

Low stress stock handling is at the core of all animal interactions. The goal is to make sure the animals feel comfortable and safe. This is done by using slow movements and calm voices at a relaxed pace.

I think keeping our people in a low stress environment as well helps them to perform low stress actions and keeping our cattle in the right frame of mind going through helps them right through life. Ryan Gurney – Glenormiston Station Manager, NAPCo

Our cattle live in harmony with the native flora and fauna

Sustainability is extremely important to NAPCO, because they know that they need to look after the natural resources in their care in order to continue to do what they do for the long run.

On their Glenormiston property, the environment is very varied. They have up to 13 different land types on this place, which makes it very interesting from a management perspective.

But it’s the biodiversity that is the most varies with a range of native species and a lot of different flora and fauna across a wide range of country.

It's extremely important to us that we look after that biodiversity and make sure that the cattle live in harmony with the native flora and fauna. Ryan Gurney – Glenormiston Station Manager, NAPCo

Cattle wellbeing during transport is paramount

Transportation plays a huge role within the NAPCo business. So it’s important that every person within the NAPCo transportation team or their contractor are always look out for the cattle and their health and wellbeing during transportation.

When loading cattle they do so in a way that ensures the cattle are comfortable, they have room to stand up and they have room to move around.

When you see livestock being moved via truck it may look as though they are bunched in, but it is important for the safety of the cattle that they do not have too much room around them as the cattle use each other for padding and support. They are still able to move around, but they cannot fall. So, they are loaded into pens where they have just the right amount of space for comfort and support throughout their journey. Being a herd animal, they are also a lot calmer with their herd mates around them.