JAMES and Roz Norval have established their Hunter Valley Wagyu operation in the Fosterton Valley on their 200 acre property ,”Weemala”, on the Williams River.
They also lease the historic “Dingadee” property next door, 600 acres of a once-prosperous dairy owned by the Bennett family.
James is originally from South Africa, where he grew up on a sheep and wheat farm in an area called Karoo.
Roz hails from nearby Taree and together they raised a family and built a successful business in Sydney.
With both of them having a love for the land they bought a property in Wallarobba 16 years ago and started cattle farming.
However a search for more-fertile country led them to the beautiful Fosterton Valley in 2013, where they have built a family home with 360-degree views.
Their principal business is high-end Wagyu beef breeding and sales of the progeny. They own 70 full-blood females and 17 full-blood bulls.
Additionally, 400 Angus females are served by the bulls.
The calves are weaned at 10 months and sent to feedlots for finishing and export principally to the Asian market. They keep their best heifers for future breeding.
James and Roz are fastidious about rotational grazing and move the cattle in mobs of 50-70 beasts.
The fertile river flats are perfect fattening country, where they also sow winter pasture crops supplemented with chicken litter.
They were preparing to bale a large area of oats, chicory and rye grass at the time of this visit.
This farm is a hive of activity, literally, with a cluster of beehives next to a large orchard.
Both James and Roz admit they are not orchardists but they have a passion for local food and engagement with the community. So varieties of avocados, figs, limes and native finger limes are grown on swales below their house.
The produce from the orchard is mostly sold locally at the Dungog Wholefood Co-op, where they volunteer time in the shop’s running operations.
When asked why they give their time and energy to the Co-op, Roz replied: “We want to live in a happy, healthy, vibrant and active community”.
This enthusiastic and hard-working couple is also developing a cafe behind the Co-op with an emphasis on using fresh local produce.
The aim is to create the Dungog Food Hub in the centre of town. This is an exciting project to reflect that we do live in what is a growing diverse food-producing area, as it has been historically.
When asked how he sees the future in our Shire, James responded with: “The future of farming is bright, a wonderful opportunity for more intensive, sustainable farming, because of the smaller-size blocks available.”
The future is brighter with committed and passionate landowners like Roz and James working their farms and engaging with the local community.
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