Kōrero: Beef farming

The Five Star feed lot at Wakanui, Canterbury, is the largest commercial feed lot in New Zealand and the single largest supplier of chilled beef exports, with up to 20,000 cattle at any one time. The operation began in 1989 to finish Angus steers in a controlled, stress-free environment for the Japanese market. The cattle are brought on to the site at about 18 months of age. Over 250 days they double their weight, on a grain diet that produces tender, marbled meat.