Boyanup feedlot receives government grant

Kingston Rest Farm, Boyanup, was one of seven South West projects to receive a share in $526,602 funding in round six of the State government's Regional Economic Development (RED) grants program.

Under the program, the farm was awarded $100,000 towards the development of a large-scale indoor sheep feedlot, to address demand from V&V Walsh in Bunbury to provide a consistent year-round supply of prime lamb for export.

The project is set to expand options for animal husbandry in the area, produce cleaner animals for processors and capture manure that can be sold as fertiliser.

It has been about 12 months since father-and-son duo Alan and Matthew Garstone revealed their ambitious plans.

Speaking to Farm Weekly in November last year, Matthew Garston said the development would have a 28,000 head holding capacity and could turn-off 250,000 lambs annually.

At the time he said features of the proposed feedlot included sawtooth roof design - comprising of a series of ridges with dual pitches either side - to keep the area well ventilated and a three-metre raised floor.

Additionally, the structure would be open-sided to allow for further ventilation.

In an interview with ABC Rural WA Country Hour last week, Mr Garstone said the funding would go towards the first shed of three in the project, which he expected to be constructed in six months.

He said it would allow Kingston Rest Farms to grow and fatten up to 60,000 lambs per year, with stage two increasing this to 250,000 head per year.

"This is reasonably large and takes us to about three to four per cent of the State's slaughter lambs in theory," Mr Garstone said in the interview.

"That is if every duck in the pond lines up nicely."

Plans for the feedlot were given the greenlight by the Joint Development Assessment Panel last year with a list of conditions outlined.

These conditions included an odour assessment within 12 months and a management plan specifying lamb movements.