Travelling west from Cobram in our motorhome, it occurred to me that the subject of my next local story was sitting beside me.
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Known locally as Foxy, farmer, former rural real estate agent and community contributor Ian Fox is less widely known for his Blonde d’Aquitaine cattle, which have carried the Renard stud name beyond the farm gate.
His home-produced beef has reached Melbourne’s Meatsmith, the speciality butcher and wine merchant founded by respected butcher Troy Wheeler and acclaimed chef and restaurateur Andrew McConnell.
Supplying a business with such exacting standards offered Ian an opportunity to demonstrate what his cattle could deliver on the plate.
Today’s discerning clientele also expect to know where their beef comes from, how the animals are raised and the farming practices and ethical standards behind it.
Ian recalls Troy praising its fine texture, flavour and tenderness, likening cutting through the meat to cutting through butter.
Another highlight was meeting French chef Gabriel Gaté for an evening discussing French cuisine and beef.
Processor Cardinia Meats also values Renard cattle and is always ready to take a load, supplying the beef to fine Asian restaurants in Australia’s capital cities.
Renard, French for fox, neatly connects the breed’s origins with its Australian breeder.
Ian began his working life carting hay, picking fruit and working in shearing sheds.
The eldest of six children, he knew he could not expect to inherit the family farm, so he set about earning enough to buy his own.
At 27, with a $20,000 deposit and a few stud dairy cows saved from being euthanise — a fate shared by many during a period of low milk prices — he bought his first farm at Cobram East.
Years in dairying followed before he began breeding Blondes in 1987.
The herd eventually exceeded 700, possibly, he believes, the largest Blonde d’Aquitaine herd in the world at the time.
There was no grand plan to reach that number ― he wanted an efficient, profitable business and the best cattle he could breed.
He studied genetics from Britain, France and Canada, importing semen and embryos to develop the animals he wanted.
Over time, Ian has shaped Renard’s cattle to meet modern Australian beef industry demands, moving away from the taller, traditional French type.
His herd is now polled — bred without horns — and lower set, retaining the breed’s characteristic muscling while incorporating greater fat cover through genetic selection.
About eight years ago, strong demand for black-coated cattle prompted Ian to develop Black Aquitaines, offering buyers black or traditional blonde coats with the same beef qualities.
That approach attracted questions when Ian was invited to address European breeders and French government representatives last year — a career highlight, although his Australian accent apparently kept the interpreters working hard.
Asked why he had moved away from traditional blonde colouring, his answer was practical: responding to market demand gave producers more options for selling cattle profitably.
A founding executive member of the Blonde d’Aquitaine Society, Ian remains its Southern Region president after many years in the role.
Renard sells about 25 to 30 breeding bulls annually into Victoria, NSW and Queensland.
Its influence extends through other studs carrying Renard bloodlines and buyers who return year after year.
Among his show-ring memories is favourite cow Renard Stacy, who won interbreed honours in Sydney and Melbourne in the early 1990s.
In 2018, he fulfilled a long-standing ambition by taking eight cattle to Beef Australia in Rockhampton, the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest beef event, held every three years.
All eight sold into the northern market, and he plans to return in 2027 with a small team.
Behind those achievements lie the uncertainties familiar to anyone making a living from the land.
Weather, water prices, machinery costs and feed bills can undo careful planning; Ian remembers holding cattle through drought and spending money to keep them alive that he knew he would never recover.
“Farming has taught me there are no guarantees; you need to plan ahead, then adjust as you go,” Ian said.
His advice to anyone carrying heavy workloads and financial pressure is to make room for something beyond the business.
Joining Apex brought lasting friendships, confidence and a wider perspective ― he later served as president of the Katamatite Football Club, where his sons played.
To his two farming sons, his advice is straightforward: do the best job possible and concentrate on what can be managed at home.
For all his interest in cattle genetics, his proudest family legacy is his three children and seven grandchildren.
Since selling the larger Corowa property, Ian has concentrated on the 200-acre Cobram farm.
His sons have encouraged him to step back and travel more and he just smiles.
Motorhome travel has convinced him there is plenty of Australia still to see, while revealing an interest that might surprise those who know him.
On one occasion, a cry from the bushes revealed Foxy had taken a tumble over a fence while photographing a particularly lovely patch of wildflowers.
His warning to the author was clear.
“If you publish that, my reputation is over.”