The McDouall family began farming the Horton Valley in 1848 when they drove a mob of shorthorn cattle from Singleton to a property called “Ulumbarella” near Upper Horton. Those shorthorn bloodlines still exist today.

In 1970 we started breeding pigs in a small free-range setup and later due to climatic restraints we built sheds to house the pigs. By 1990 we had grown to 150 sows and were suppling Melosi Small Goods and operating in a 35-producer group called the Delungra Pig Producers. Thanks to the flood of subsidised imported pork producer numbers began to dwindle by the mid 1990’s. Today there are only 2 of us left from that group.

Currently we have 200 sows and supply Bangalow Sweet Pork at Ballina and 8 butchers scattered throughout the north under the Horton Valley Premium Pork brand. It is our aim to supply our butchers with a product that is nutritious and delicious and to grow pigs in an environmentally sustainable manner. We are gestation stall free and grow our pigs out in straw based eco shelters.

We use biological farming techniques to grow our own grains and pulses, which are milled on farm for the piggery. This gives our pork a high nutrient status and it is the ingredients in the final rations before market that give us the premium product and the marketing edge and most importantly the point of difference for our butchers. We have learnt over the years that what enhances the flavour of pork and what detracts from it. At the moment we are trialling macadamia nuts in the ration which we believe increases the juiciness and tenderness of the meat. However, you will be the judges!!!

We eagerly await feedback.

We hope you enjoy your Horton Valley Premium Pork today.

We are so pleased to be one of the local suppliers of meat to Meat on Maitland.

Cheers from Baden, Jen, Daniel & Will McDouall​

We, at Kildare, are very pleased to be a major supplier of South Devon beef to Meat on Maitland. For several years our consumers have been enjoying the tenderness, leanness and marbling beef of these beautiful and quiet cattle at Meat on Maitland. For the past forty years, we have bred South Devon cattle because of their carcass quality and saleable meat yield.

This is an opportunity for everyone to enjoy our grassfed product. We have 300 plus breeders after the drought and increasing, producing bulls, females and show cattle with success.

Here in the Horton Valley we enjoy a good balance of summer and winter rains which aids in producing good young grass fed beef on native and improved pastures such as oats and forage sorghums without grain.