GERRY MUCKERT talks to his cattle every day. At the end of a busy day at his shop, the Brassall Meat Mart owner uses slow and soothing tones as he wanders through his small feedlot at the rear of his 25-hectare Ipswich property.
And while some producers would reject such behaviour, anyone who has witnessed the calm and friendly temperament of his cattle would find it hard to argue against his unconventional logic.
"I think I spend more time on my cattle than a lot of people. When you go down and talk to the beasts, they get that damn used to you. It quietens them down," he said.
"A lot of people say they're too mad, they're too wild. But I tell those people to come to my place - my cattle have a beautiful temperament."
When Queensland Country Life visited Mr Muckert's feedlot last week, the cattle acted more like pets than someone's livelihood.
The yarded steers gathered around their owner, dipping their heads to be patted and licking his shirt and hands.
Mr Muckert is unique among butchers in that he owns and operates his own feedlot in addition to his shop.
When the price of cattle fell to just 10c/kg during the 1970s, Mr Muckert's shop reached an average of 36 bodies a week, which prompted his decision.
"There wouldn't be another butcher around me who has a feedlot, but I did it because it was hard to get the meat I wanted," he said.
"It was difficult to find it in saleyards. You'd have to travel from Ipswich to Dalby or further to get something even close to what you wanted.
"I'm very particular with what I sell to my customers and I also don't like the middleman - he gets all the cream - so I try and cut him out when I can.
"I sell enough meat to make it pay, although I wouldn't recommend small shops do it."
Mr Muckert generally holds about 60 head at his yards, with cattle destined for the shop grainfed for at least 100 days and cattle planned for shows receiving about 200 days of grain.
He is a loyal customer of Bremer Stockfeeds at Laidley.
Brassall Meat Mart, a bulk meat specialist which celebrates its 50th year in business this year, processes about 10 cattle, 8-10 pigs and 20 lambs each week.
The business also purchases cartons of meat from Dalby.
Mr Muckert is renowned in the South East corner for his dedication to the Limousin breed, which he believes is the best meat that a butcher's shop can stock.
He is contacted weekly by agents and producers looking to offload some of their cattle to his business and is a regular at saleyards across the region, particularly Moreton.
"A few decades ago I was into Charolais but then I made the switch," he said.
"You never got the bone yield with the Charolais. Limos are not as big, so you don't get that big frame and big boned cattle."
Despite his staunch loyalty, Mr Muckert still experiments with other cattle breeds. He currently owns two steers - a Blonde d'Aquitaine and a Bazadaise - which he plans to test the meat quality of in the near future.
He also uses his feedlot to prepare cattle for competitions, with recent wins including champion pen of three and champion local trade weight at the 2010 Royal Queensland Show.
However, despite his success, Mr Muckert believes there is a bleak future for retail butchers.
"Supermarkets and fast food changed everything," he said.
"When I first went into lotfeeding I was doing 20-30 bodies a week but now that's down to 10.
"Supermarkets are a one stop shop and people buy a burger or chicken on the way home from a fast food shop.
"These days, people go home and just warm their meals up.
"They don't cook. One-owner butcher shops will be a thing of the past in a few years.
"It's a bloody shame, but what can you do?
"There are a lot of butchers going broke. I'm the last of a dying breed."
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