Cattleman and coal mine unearth the formula for shared success

It may surprise some, but a wagyu and angus beef cattle property operates successfully right next door to the biggest open cut coal mine in NSW, BHP Billiton’s Mt Arthur Coal.

The case study was revealed today by the NSW Minerals Council, the second in a series focusing on the positive coexistence between coal mining and agriculture in the Hunter Valley.

Cattleman Trevor Petith is featured in a range of print and radio advertisements including in a selection of gourmet food websites, where he discusses working and living next door to the state’s largest coal mine and why he believes mining and farming can both thrive together.

“We’ve been here 7 years and it’s been 7 productive years of farming,” Trevor and Narelle Petith said.

In that time Trevor and Narelle have successfully bred Wagyu bulls with Angus cows to create an F1 crossbreed. The meat produced by his cattle has been so successful it is now sold through a premium broker to some of the finest restaurants in Australia and around the world.

Trevor believes the working relationship he has with Mt Arthur is a positive one. Having spent his entire life as a farmer, Trevor believes that mining is as important to Australia’s future as farming. It is why he wants to see both thrive together.

“We work well together. We’re quite close to the mine, but we don’t have any problems. For our state and country, we need the mining industry and for employment. They bring a lot of employment to this area,” Trevor said.

The advertisements launched in today’s newspapers can be seen and heard at www.worldclassminers.com.au as well as across regional press, online and on commercial radio in Sydney and mining regions over the next three weeks.

More info can be found on Twitter at #worldclassminers or by visiting the Facebook page.

Contact: Lindsay Hermes I lhermes@nswmining.com.au I 0409 758 734