IT MAY be small fry, but Emerald’s top cop has thrown himself into the cattle industry, purchasing a block and 10 registered Brangus stud heifers.
Emerald Police officer in charge Senior Sergeant Peter McFarlane, Calvin Lee, Emerald, purchased his 40 hectare block just out of town three years ago.
After arriving in Emerald five years ago, Snr Sgt McFarlane said it was time to settle down.
With stints in Cairns (1992-1995), Cooktown (1995-1998), Tannum Sands (1995-2002), Gladstone (2002-2008), and Toowoomba (2008-2012), he said he has not intentions of leaving Emerald any time soon.
Getting into the cattle industry has been a goal he had held since he was a child.
“It’s something I’ve always had a passion for, as a young bloke growing up in south east Queensland in the small town of Beaudesert I always spent the weekends and holidays on mates’ farms and working with cattle,” he said.
“I always had a passion for it, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
“Travelling around Queensland, dragging (wife Michelle, and kids Daniel, 21, and Kelsey, 19) around for 25 years didn’t help.”
He said since purchasing the block three years ago, it has been a slow process of fencing, organising water infrastructure and getting ready to purchase cattle.
But in that time, he had to call on help from one of his past staffers, well-known Brangus breeder and ex-police officer Kellie Silvester, Forest Hills, Capella, who worked under Snr Sgt McFarlane as a Senior Constable.
“We are lucky enough to be very good friends with Kellie and Michael Silvester; they’ve probably forgotten more about cattle than I’ll ever know,” he said.
“We go out there and I’m not sure if we get in the way or help, but we do learn a bit.”
Snr Sgt McFarlane said while he won’t be giving up his day job, he hopes to breed a few more cows and potentially expand the operation one day.