FOR fifth-generation beef farmer Belinda Hoekstra, it was a huge leap of faith.

Two-and-a-half years ago, she and her parents decided to sell their beef directly to customers, after realising the farm wasn't making enough income to survive.

"We first started selling direct because my father was ill and was forced to sell his trucking business," Belinda says.

"Without this outside income, the farm had to make more money. We started selling on the internet and doing home deliveries all over Melbourne."

There are 150 breeding cows and two bulls on the 120ha property on the Thomson River at Myrtlebank, near Sale in Gippsland.

An 8ha paddock of lucerne, cut into round bales for winter, is all the additional feed these grass-fed Hereford and Angus cattle need.

"The cattle are sent to the abattoir in Sale or Trafalgar, anywhere between 12 and 18 months old," Belinda says.

"Then the meat is sent to Lindenow to be packaged, so we keep our business local."

Belinda now sells most of the beef at farmers' markets at Mulgrave, Flemington Showgrounds, South Gippsland-Koonwarra, Bairnsdale, North Essendon, Sale, Gasworks at Albert Park, Yarraville, Traralgon, Metung, Maffra, Stratford and Paynesville.

"While there is a bigger profit margin selling direct, there's more work and maintenance on the vehicles and cool rooms."

The 30-year-old runs the farm with her mother, Gail, and brother Haydn, along with international backpackers visiting Australia. Her two children, Abergail, 7, and William, 5, love helping.

Belinda grew up in Hallam and spent most holidays helping her grandfather on the Myrtlebank farm.

After working as a courier for three years in Melbourne and then a mum for six years, Belinda returned to the property in January last year when her father became too ill to manage the farm.

"My great-great grandparents came out from Germany and acquired the land," she says.

"Initially it was a dairy farm, and my great grandfather had pigs as well. Eventually my grandfather changed it over from dairy to beef. The land has been fertiliser-free for many years."

When it comes to producing beef to sell at farmers' markets, Belinda has learnt some valuable tips:

"Make sure you rotate your bulls to avoid interbreeding. We have a Hereford bull and an Angus bull and we try and change them every eight to 10 years. We buy them from the Innesdale stud at Heyfield.

"Beef has to be hung for up to 20 days. The age of the animal when slaughtered will also influence the tenderness of the meat, as well as a stress-free lifestyle.

"We cryovac all the beef in cuts or 500g lots, and roasts are in 1kg to 1.5kg. That way it lasts a couple of weeks. Except for the sausages, which are in trays of roughly nine. We used to put all the meat in trays in half-kilo lots and then cling wrap them. If I were to start from scratch again, I would cyrovac from the start.

"Generally our prices are no dearer then the supermarket. Sometimes we offer market-day specials at up to 30 per cent off.

On a bad day, if it's rainy or windy, we could lose 50 per cent of sales.

"The only trick of the trade I swear by is offering samples. We bring along a gas cooker, normally used for camping, and a fry pan. Once cooked, we cut the meat into bite-size pieces and stick them on toothpicks for people to enjoy. Not only do they taste and smell good, it helps to break the ice when talking to your customers.

"Last month, one of our trailers rolled over in Melbourne on the way home from market. The driver took the corner a little too sharply, not leaving enough room for the trailer to get around. Luckily we'd done our day's trade, but the whole experience still cost us nearly $1000. I guess that's business.

"Every step of selling meat direct to the public has to be licensed; the abattoir, butcher and the trailer. It was time-consuming and difficult at the start. Mum and I decided we could do it on our own. It's a lot easier now, because I know what to expect. To qualify for farmers' market accreditation, which we have, the animals must be on your farm for at least three months before slaughter.

  • Louise FitzRoy is an ABC journalist and author of From Paddock to Plate.