The Leather Cattle Company in Central Queensland is a world leader in the production of sustainable beef.
Story + Photos Mandy McKeesick
If these cows were human they would be sitting under an umbrella by the pool, sipping a daiquiri. In the bovine equivalent, fat cows sit contentedly beneath a bauhinia tree, chewing cuds and watching the world go by. Several of their mates are still partaking of the smorgasbord before them, stretching necks to reach the juicy top leaves of leucaena plants or head-down munching through red Flinders and blue grasses.
Looking on, almost as contentedly, are Melinee and Rob Leather. “This country is perfect for leucaena,” Rob says, as he adjusts a float valve on a water trough. “It is a high-protein legume that gives us better weight gain and increased stock health. It is drought tolerant, can reduce cattle methane emissions by 20%, and its woody growth and deep roots sequester carbon and retain soil moisture. We would never not have it.”
That Rob speaks of cattle production in the same breath as carbon and methane underlines the ethos of Leather Cattle Company, a sustainable beef business revolving around Barfield station, south of Banana in the Brigalow Belt of Central Queensland. It is a business recognised internationally, winning the Success Through Collaboration Award at the 2024 Global Conference on Sustainable Beef in Uruguay.
This story excerpt is from issue #168
Outback Magazine: Aug/Sep 2026
