SOME of the best ideas come over a couple of beers.
While it is a theory many probably would debate, there are times the ideas do end up becoming bloody good ones and successfully pan out.
This is proven in how more than 40 riverine buffalo found their way to Quindanning farmer Graeme Carthy's 404 hectare (1000 acre) property.
About 18 months ago, Mr Carthy was celebrating a friend's birthday in the Kimberleys when his phone rang.
"My mate in Darwin rang me up and started telling me about these buffalo," Mr Carthy said.
"The Northern Territory Government was looking to get rid of them, after a program they had been trying to run for about 30 years didn't really show the results they wanted.
"I got off the phone, said (to the group) 'you're not going to believe this' and told them what was going on.
"My mate, who is a very successful bloke in the hospitality sector, said to me. 'you know what, that is marketable, you could really make it work'."
The buffalo breeding program started at Beatrice Hill Research Station in 1994, with four heifers and four bulls imported from the United States.
Semen of around 20 Italian riverine buffalo was also introduced in a bid to ensure genetic diversity.
The herd was developed by NT livestock research scientist Barry Lemcke in the hope of diversifying buffalo farming, developing a milking breed and building a critical mass herd quickly.
"I think the program was retired because it was very hard to change people's thinking," Mr Carthy said.
"Some breeders were sent straight to the meatworks, but the genetics of these animals on an overseas boat are worth $3000 per head."
Despite knowing nothing about the animal, Mr Carthy jumped at the opportunity to tap into a niche market, seeing huge potential for buffalo products in WA.
He was new to Quindanning and believed the location was ideal for the milking animal.
And so in March last year, 41 riverine buffalo made the 4420 kilometre trek from the Top End to the country's deep south to start a new life.
The 500 plus kilogram animals were loaded onto Wildman River Stock Contractors livestock crates for trucking.
Kununurra was the first stop, where they were spelled and drenched overnight before the next leg to Broome and finally the 33-hour nonstop journey to Quindanning.
Safety measures included water spraying every couple of hours through a specially installed sprinkler system to ensure the health and wellbeing of the cargo.
As can be expected, given WA's strict quarantine laws, gaining permission for buffalo to enter the State was not straightforward or easygoing.
"We had to have a permit to hold them because they are considered vermin," Mr Carthy said.
"Then we also needed a special import licence due to Johne's Disease.
"Ironically, as it turns out there are only two places in the NT, which are designated Johne's Disease free.
"One of those places was Beatrice Hill where these guys came from, so I crossed that hill without even jumping a hurdle."
Mr Carthy said the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development was exceptionally helpful and good to work with.
By mid-January his herd has since grown by 15 calves, with more expected to drop.
The one buffalo bull was put in with the mix of maiden cows and a couple of heifers in February last year.
"They have a gestation period of 310 days, which is longer than a cow," Mr Carthy said.
"Then we preg-tested in September, but the veterinarian couldn't tell us any dates, they could only tell us whether the animal was empty or loaded.
"At least we knew the bull was doing his job."
He described buffalo as prolific breeders.
"They haven't messed around with the genetics enough to swing away from their core genetics.
"So they still are what they are, longhaired and too heavy."
And Mr Carthy wasn't lying with some of the animals weighing up to 900 kilograms.
Of that 50pc is meat.
He said they were great foragers, which helped them do well on poorer country.
"They have a greater ability to convert rough food," Mr Carthy said.
"If you see the size of their tongue it is quite narrow for their mouth, so they can grab things by wrapping their tongue around it.
"Treat them properly, they are quite an easy animal to work with.
"Treat them badly, take your life in your own hands."
The riverine breed of buffalo are known for their dual purpose in both dairy and meat.
Mr Carthy said it was an industry which didn't exist in WA, however he has high hopes that through successful marketing campaigns buffalo could become a big thing in high-end restaurant trade.
He is hoping to do so with the animal's milk and has plans to contract an existing local dairy farmer to milk his herd.
Ideally, they would be paid to milk once a day between their twice-a-day normal dairy herd, with an average take of 10 litres per buffalo, per day.
However, Mr Carthy said he would leave the calves on them now for the time being and see how it evolves.
I asked what the main differences were between buffalo milk and cow milk?
He said the fat content in buffalo milk was much higher (eight per cent) compared to that of a cow (3.5pc).
"It is a white milk and very low in lactose," he said.
"So there is also an opening there for low lactose milk.
"I am led to believe buffalo milk makes the best icecream, chocolate and mozzarella cheese in the world.
"The real money will be in downstream processing and you can do a lot with hide, but no one downstream processes hide anymore in Australia.
"It is too labour intensive and there are too many chemicals involved, so they just salt them and send them overseas."
In the future, Mr Carthy also hopes to venture into the high-end buffalo meat market.
He said he was still trying to figure out the best way to market the product.
However, with a small herd continuity of supply may be an issue.
"I gave 30kg of buffalo meat to my mate, who had the original concept of taking on the buffalo.
"He is going to experiment cooking it with the help of his five-star chef."
Mr Carthy said that with all new concepts, there was a lot to learn.
He said he knew of the meat being used in quality Italian smallgoods with a very high critique.
Mr Carthy did have plans to grow his herd further in September, however was not able to amid the detection of Johne's Disease in WA.
"When I first brought the buffalo down here, everyone thought I was nuts," he said.
"Now, everyone is interested in them."
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