Phillip has farmed part-time for the past 11 years, while running a medical practice in Adelaide. But he is so confident of the gross margins from his cattle, he will be living full-time at the farm from next year to inensify operations.

While his property covers just 76 hectares, returns/ha enable Phillip to make about $900/steer and he aims to run one breeding Lowline cross female/hectare. Input costs are roughly $30/ha, with much of his input materials found his own backyard.

Phillip said working as a GP started him down the organic path.

"Working as a doctor, most of the problems I see are related to diet," he said.

* Extract from a full livestock report in Stock Journal, August 7 issue.