Pemberton farmers bringing high-quality beef to local businesses

A Pemberton cattle farm will be bringing Jersey beef and white lamb to the Pemberton and Manjimup areas, allowing access to high-quality cuts of meat in time for Easter. The Lake Janis Farm has begun supplying Ernie’s IGA in Pemberton with its grass-fed Jersey beef, which is said to rival wagyu beef, along with its ultra-white lamb in time for the Easter long weekend. Lake Janis farmer and co-owner Dean Ryan said the IGA would be supplied with one of its cattle carcases before the long weekend and the meat was on the same marbling scale as wagyu beef. “There’s quite a lot of people who are using and selling our meat, and the Pemberton IGA is getting a whole animal before the Easter weekend,” he said. “It’s got a score of marbling at the same level as wagyu beef, and the IGA is also going to stock our white lamb as well. “The IGA did a trial with 20kg and they were amazed how quickly it sold. Easter was coming up and with plenty of tourists coming down for the weekend and the locals around, we’re hoping it sells.” The yellow marbling of the Jersey beef is a key point, according to Mr Ryan. “It’s the intramuscular fat, the connected tissue in the muscle, and it’s even healthier than the outside fat,” Mr Ryan said. “It also releases a bit of fat into the meat, and makes it more tender and tastier when you’re cooking it as well.” He also said their grass-fed lamb, which will also be supplied at Ernie’s IGA, had a lower melting point when cooked and allowed for a better aftertaste, due to using the same growing system as their cattle. Mr Ryan said before the deal with Ernie’s, they had been supplying several businesses in Perth and the South West with their products, although they had issues with getting local butchers to take their meat. He noted the change in ownership with the IGA as a reason to offer their meat to the market, and noted other local businesses, including the Pemberton Hotel and Two Little Black Birds in Manjimup, have been using their supply.