By Georgia Hargreaves and Amelia Searson, ABC News<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nABC rural reporter Georgia Hargreaves stands next to the world’s largest cattle breed.
\nPhoto: ABC South West WA \/ Georgia Hargreaves\n<\/p>\n
When Ann Cochram first locked eyes with the world’s biggest cattle breed at the Perth Royal Show in 1984, she was enamoured by their “magical, physical presence”.<\/p>\n
“Although they’re a very big animal, they’re very elegant,” she said.<\/p>\n
“They actually are very beautiful, maybe not to everybody else, but to my eyes they are.”<\/p>\n
Chianina cattle can weigh more than 1.7 tonnes, the same as a small car, and stand about 2 metres tall.<\/p>\n
Ms Cochram and her husband Noel have been breeding Chianina, which originated in Italy, on their little farm in Karridale, 300 kilometres south of Perth, for the past 17 years.<\/p>\n
“We initially had Angus cattle \u2026 and then we thought our property is really quite small, it’s only 50 hectares, but [we wanted to] do what we’ve dreamed of doing,” she said.<\/p>\n
“We thought, ‘We’ll fulfill that dream\u2026 and not go for profit but for passion.”<\/p>\n
So, the couple bought their first Chianina from the same breeder Mr Cochram had seen at the Royal Show more than two decades before.<\/p>\n
“It does make me really emotional. They were majestic to see,” she said.<\/p>\n
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\nChianina will do as they are told if there is food involved. (
\nPhoto: ABC South West WA \/ Georgia Hargreaves\n<\/p>\n
Ancient and bigger than Angus<\/p>\n
Mr Cochram said the Chianina breed has a history that spans more than 2000 years and is pictured in cave paintings from before Roman times.<\/p>\n
He said they were mainly used as draft animals, domesticated to perform work tasks like transporting heavy loads.<\/p>\n
“That’s why they’re so big, because the Italians only selected the biggest animals for the draft,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Lately they’ve gone into more of a beef animal, mainly because [they’ve] got some of the healthiest beef in the world with protein levels and cholesterol levels.”<\/p>\n
Mr Cochram said he first heard about the Chianina when he was a child from his uncle, who had returned from World War II after “liberating Florence”, a city in Tuscany where the breed originates.<\/p>\n
He said his uncle had seen “these giant white cattle” in the fields, but did not know what they were called.<\/p>\n
“I always remember that story because he was saying they were twice the size of an Angus, but looking at them, I think they really are,” he said.<\/p>\n
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\nNoel and Ann Cochram have been breeding Chianina for 17 years.
\nPhoto: ABC South West WA \/ Georgia Hargreaves\n<\/p>\n
Big bulls, big steak<\/p>\n
Ms Cochram said that, despite the breed’s imposing size, her husband takes a tender approach when it comes to managing their herd.<\/p>\n
“He has a really lovely, gentle way of doing it, very respectful of their nature,” she said.<\/p>\n
“We try very hard to be calm with them, to not push them around or yell at them or force them to do things, but find ways that they’ll do it by their nature.”<\/p>\n
To no one’s surprise, the Chianina will do as they are told, so long as there is food involved.<\/p>\n
The couple have sold the Chianina’s meat in the past, but it has not always been easy.<\/p>\n
“Some of the butchers have said they can’t even process them, they haven’t got the stalls or the hooks,” Mr Cochram said.<\/p>\n
“Initially, people said the steak’s so big you can’t get your potatoes on the plate.<\/p>\n
“I don’t think that’s really a problem\u2026 just grab a side dish.”<\/p>\n
Ms Cochram and her husband hope to tap into the restaurant market with Bistecca alla Fiorentina, a steak popular in Italy, which is derived from Chianina meat.<\/p>\n
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\nChianina meat can be difficult to process due to its size.
\nPhoto: ABC South West WA \/ Georgia Hargreaves\n<\/p>\n
Sharing the love<\/p>\n
The pair have made connections with many passers-by who have stopped to take a look after Mr Cochram put up a sign saying, “World’s largest cattle”.<\/p>\n
“It’s been remarkable just the interactions we’ve had with people who are curious, and once they see them, there’s a real sense of being quite enchanted by them,” Mr Cochram said.<\/p>\n
“We even had one young man who said he was going to stand next to the Chianina to propose to his girlfriend.<\/p>\n
“People from Italy have a familiarity with them and feel a connection to home.”<\/p>\n
As the couple inches closer to retirement, they want to share their love of the breed with other eager farmers.<\/p>\n
“We would like to see some of our bulls sold so there will be more people involved with Chianina \u2026 so the breed doesn’t die out,” Mr Cochram said.<\/p>\n
“They are a breed that is worthy of our efforts and worthy of our promotion.”<\/p>\n