Location

Situated in the heart of prime cattle country between Emerald and Blackwater, on the banks of the Nogoa and McKenzie Rivers, our herd grazes on just over 9,000 hectares of predominantly developed brigalow and softwood scrub.

In conjunction with their rigorous AI programs, the Hornery’s found themselves implementing intensive cell grazing practices from 1992 onwards. The benefits of these sustainable land management techniques have formed a base on which River Lea has been fenced into over thirty main paddocks, based on topographical features. Centralised water points allow cattle 360’ access to clean water troughs, which ensures that all pastures are evenly grazed. The office complex, cattle yards, horse stables, workshop and practice arena are beautifully designed to encourage optimum efficiency in the day-to-day management of River Lea and to be enjoyed by family, staff and friends.

We welcome visitors to “River Lea” with an open-door policy. 

Every animal on River Lea has life time traceability by way of management and NLIS tags. The use of the Practical Systems program ‘Stockbook’ has allowed us to collect data to analyse overall performance and accurately document all criteria required for accreditations, such as EU and comply with bio-security regulations.  We believe it is essential to assess our animals through both Phenotypes and Genotypes. To have a content and attractive animal that is genetically proven to outreach industry averages is not a desire, but a reality. 

Strong relationships have allowed us to collect carcase data for many years, this simple request has allowed us to enhance the quality of our product by following genetic performance through to its final destination. By integrating DNA testing, EBV’s and MasterBeef, we will have the ability to make these decisions for next generations prematurely.