The future of beef to descend on Roma
THE Young Beef Producers Forum is really “Stepping Up to the Plate” this year with a stellar line-up of speakers.
The YBPF is a two-day conference being held in Roma on November 15-16.
The forum is focused on education, networking and capacity building for people under the age of 40.
Event co-ordinator Tim Emery said 240 people attended the conference last year with every state represented except South Australia.
“It really has become a national conference,” Mr Emery said.
“It’s a great way for young people from across Australia to learn together and bounce ideas off each other.
“There have been many people who have stayed in contact and supported each other after coming to the conference.”
At the 2017 conference just over half of the attendees were female and a similar percentage were in the 20-25 year old age bracket. Producers made up 60 per cent of event attendees.
Mr Emery said this was the first year the forum would integrate a sheep-focused session.
“There will be a two-hour session on the Friday where delegates can go to the beef session or the sheep session running concurrently,” he said.
“There will be four sheep speakers.
“Sharing of ideas across sectors can be so powerful.”
The theme of this year’s
event is Stepping Up to the Plate.
The theme is meant to encompass raising the bar in all aspects of life and not being afraid to take on that next level of responsibility in your business and broader industry.
Speakers include:
PRUE AND DAVID BONDFIELD
Palgrove Pastoral Co
DAVID is CEO of Palgrove Pastoral Co and has been in the seedstock business all his life.
He’s judged stud and commercial cattle at every major Royal Show in Australia, as well as national breed shows and world congress events across the world.
He is also a past president of the Charolais Society of Australia.
Prue is general manager of Palgrove.
She has a background in law and has held numerous directorship positions on both private company and government boards.
She was, until recently, chairwoman of the Australian Beef Industry Sustainability Committee and is a director of the Regional Investment Corporation.
TIM PRYOR
StockCo Australia
TIM is the chief operating officer at StockCo. He joined StockCo in 2017, having worked for Bank of Queensland as Head of Agribusiness.
Tim began his career working for rural agency business AWB Landmark.
He then spent the next 12 years in senior rural banking roles across CBA, ANZ and most recently BOQ.
Tim holds a Bachelor in Animal Sciences and Production.
He has a very broad rural and banking knowledge, having experience ranging from client-facing roles to engagement with executive leadership teams driving policy and strategy in an ASX listed regional bank.
DALENE WRAY
OBE Organics
DALENE is managing director of OBE Organic, a well-established Australian company specialising in organic halal grass fed beef. She is a champion of gender and ethnic diversity in the workplace.
Dalene also works tirelessly to drive change, innovation and digital adoption in the Australian beef industry. OBE Organic was an early adopter of social media under her guidance, and she has initiated a leading sustainability program in the beef industry which aims to better manage supply chain opportunities and risks around environment, animals, people and product.
Dalene contributes to the beef industry through her involvement as deputy chair, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Council for Australian Arab Relations; committee member on the Telstra Queensland Regional Advisory Committee; and other industry groups.
MICHAEL WELLINGTON
Bush AgriBusiness
MICHAEL started with Bush AgriBusiness after graduating from the University of Queensland Gatton Campus with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours). His interests are varied, having been involved in research projects ranging from agronomy to animal nutrition during university.
Michael has been exposed to a range of agricultural production systems, including completing work experience with the Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen’s Association as part of the RIRDC Horizon Scholarship.
He joined Bush AgriBusiness as part of the MLA Future Livestock Consultants Internship program. In his role at Bush AgriBusiness, Michael works with a wide range of producers on business management and technical issues.
BRAD JAMES
Rabobank
BRAD is Rabobank regional manager for Southern Queensland and Northern NSW.
Brad has a strong affiliation with the bush, having spent most of his banking career specialising in the agriculture sector.
Educated in country Queensland, Brad moved straight into a career in banking after completing his formal education. During this period he spent time specialising in both the commercial and corporate banking sector before finding his niche in agriculture in the early ’90s.
During Brad’s career in agribusiness he has specialised in a host of commodities from beef to cane.
EMILY PULLEN
Jim’s Jerky
EMILY is the CEO of her family’s company Jim’s Jerky, based near Toowoomba. Founded in 2004 by her parents Jim and Cathie, Jim’s Jerky creates quality beef jerky, biltong and smallgoods from Australian beef.
Growing up on her family’s mixed cropping and grazing enterprises on the northern Downs and Central Queensland, and a trained agronomist, Emily has been involved in the beef industry for most of her life.
But her career path has been random, including working in the UK for Dept Food, Environment & Rural Affairs’ Sustainable Development Commission, and with Red Tractor, one of the world’s largest full chain assurance schemes for food.
In August, Emily was named the Cattle Council of Australia’s Rising Champion for 2019.
ROBERT HERRMANN
Mecardo
MECARDO (a Ruralco business) is an independent, specialist agricultural strategy and marketing advisory business. Mecardo has vigorously protected this independence, which has become a valuable asset for its clients.
The company was
established by Robert Herrmann in Adelaide in 1996. With a strong background in agriculture, Robert’s commitment was to deliver a high-quality, proactive risk analysis and management service to clients.
Mecardo is Australia’s leading multi-commodity risk management advisory and market intelligence service, providing concise, timely and relevant market information through our online platform, and direct to private clients.
BRYCE CAMM
Camm Agriculture Group
BRYCE is from Dalby where he oversees his family’s company Camm Agricultural Group; an integrated beef and cropping enterprise with interests across Queensland. Bryce has been managing the group for two years.
Before that he was the manager of the group’s award winning Wonga Plains Feedlot for eight years where he oversaw the operation triple in size.
Growing up on Natal Downs in North Queensland, Bryce undertook a dual degree in Business Administration and Communications at Bond University.
Bryce is chairman of the Beef Sustainability Steering Group, vice-chairman of Beef Australia Limited and a member of the executive of the Australian Lot Feeders Council. He was the RaboBank Emerging Leader Award recipient in 2014.
GEORGIE ALEY
KPMG
GEORGIE has held senior management and non-executive director roles within the Australian food and agribusiness sector for more than 10 years.
Georgie joined KPMG in August 2018 as a member of their food and agribusiness management consulting team. Before this she was the CEO of The Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology, having been appointed as the inaugural CEO of AIFST in April 2015 and serves as a director of Pulse Australia, Agribusiness Australia and Workforce Consulting.
OWEN AND BRIGID PRICE
Hillyvale, Arcadia Valley
OWEN is a commercial beef producer from Central Queensland who grew up on the land and is focused on securing premium markets and high returns for the family business. Overseeing their operation, Owen has transitioned all properties to organic and last year the business was certified through Grazing BMP.
Owen is an advocate for using industry knowledge to improve agricultural practices, business efficiencies and on-ground productivity gains.
Brigid works alongside Owen in their family business and is the creator of the Rural Resources Online, a comprehensive website that unites Australian farmers through resources, shared knowledge, expert skills and the all-important stories of community and spirit encapsulated by life on the land.
BEC BEISSEL
Maranoa Beef
BEC, in partnership with her husband Craig and two young children, is a director and owner of Maranoa Beef.
As a fifth-generation beef producer, she carries forth a rich and proud history of producing ethically raised, premium-quality grass fed beef. Now through Maranoa Beef and its Know Your Farmer Know Your Food message, she is at the forefront of delivering a unique and valued eating experience direct to consumers.
Bec and Craig are striving to set new standards in their industry, including the development of innovative and exciting ways to uniquely engage with customers. In her words, “It’s not just about selling the steak...it’s more than that...we must sell the sizzle too, in order to grab the attention of our consumers.”
LOUISE FITZGERALD-BAKER
The Pink Hard Hat LOUISE is a busy mother of three daughters, wife, property developer and now most recently, best-selling author.
Using the family home as collateral, she built over $42 million of property from 2007-2017 in Brisbane, working school hours, often managing the household alone.
As 2016 came to a close, Louise decided to pivot and write stories rather than build them.
As she did so, she reflected on the art of resilience and staying nimble in life, love, health and business.
She wrote a best-selling book The Pink Hard Hat, Building the Resilient Woman and now speaks all over the country on the importance of financial confidence in enabling transition.
SAM MARWOOD
Cultivate Farms
SAM is a community-driven problem solver from central Victoria who is redefining the farming and agriculture industry.
With a background in environmental science and social entrepreneurship Sam spent his early years as a policy advisor to the Victorian Government before connecting to his roots – farming and all things the environment.
Cultivate Farms is a match maker for retiring farmers and want-to-be farmers alike. Since its launch, Cultivate Farms have nurtured many new farming partnerships across Australia, with the first of its kind in Albury, now operating as Hicks Country Beef.
ROD MILLER
Australian Wool Network
ROD joined Australian Wool Network in 2013 and is now the managing wool specialist and wool marketing manager overseeing AWN’s South Australian clients and in the field team.
Rod is well known in South Australia’s woolly circles through his considerable experience marketing wool for clients from all regions as well as his wool business management and industry positions nationally.
As an AWN Wool Specialist, Rod is focused on helping his clients offset extreme price variability through a variety of selling alternatives including a full range of price risk management solutions, wool indicator contracts, direct to mill arrangements plus a range of modern selling products.
MARK WESTCOTT
The Strategic Evolution
MARK is originally from the bush and understands the problems of starting the whole succession planning conversation.
Most parents and young beef producers initially don’t know how or where to start the conversation in regard to future family roles and business succession.
Mark’s created five simple strategies to easily start the succession conversation.
TOM PERKINS
Nelyambo
TOM was born and raised in Dirranbandi before attending boarding school in Brisbane and undertaking tertiary studies at UQ Gatton. He graduated in 2007 with a degree in Animal Science and Business Management.
In 2011, Tom decided to move back to the family property at Dirranbandi . With his wife and parents, the business runs a mixed enterprise operation which includes 3000 breeding merinos, 200 cows and 1000 hectares of cultivation. Merinos are their passion and form the core of the business.
MICHAEL CROWLEY
General manager, Producer Consultation and Adoption, MLA
MICHAEL holds a bachelor’s degree, Rural Science from the University of New England and a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration from QUT. His team is responsible for MLA’s investments in adoption, R&D consultation, livestock genetics and MSA, working closely with producers and the red meat value chain to drive adoption of R&D.