BANNITUP ANGUS

Andrew and Khumo Johnson, with their children Selemo and Naledi, run the Bannitup Angus herd on the pastures overlooking the pristine waters of the Recherche Archipelago in Esperance, Western Australia.

Bannitup Angus was established in 2016 with females sourced from Andrew’s parents’ Naranda Stud as part of a succession plan which would see Andrew’s parents first downsize and then retire from the stud cattle industry.

Andrew grew up on The Ireland Farms where his parents ran a large cattle operation and bred registered Hereford cattle. After finishing school Andrew travelled to the Eastern States to gain experience in the cattle industry. He worked for such studs as Thologolong Murray Greys, South Boorook Herefords and Injemira Herefords which at the time ran one of the largest embryo transfer operations in the world. After completing an Agricultural Business Degree Andrew worked overseas in the Airborne Geophysics industry before returning home and beginning a commercial cattle herd.

As a Motswana, Khumo’s heritage is deeply steeped in cattle. In Botswana cattle represent wealth and status and her family have raised cattle as far back as memory allows. Before coming to Australia, Khumo was a director of a market research company and moved to Australia after marrying Andrew to begin the Bannitup Angus herd where she manages promotion and marketing.

The Johnson family is very proud of their land and strive to farm in a sustainable manner. Many resources have been given to preserving habitat for the native animals and protection of the waterways.

Bannitup is the name of the lake adjacent to the property. It is part of a wetland system soon to be included in the RAMSAR Convention on wetlands of International Importance. Every year thousands of migratory birds visit the lake system.