Announcing the successful 2024 GenAngus Future Leaders
Angus Australia and specialist agricultural insurer Achmea Australia proudly announce the successful applicants for the 2024 GenAngus Future Leaders Program (GenAngus).
The 13 successful applicants have demonstrated strong leadership potential and a commitment to advancing the beef industry. They will take part in the sixth GenAngus program, which this year will be held in Christchurch, New Zealand from 28 May to 31 May.
GenAngus aims to equip participants with the necessary business skills and knowledge to kickstart their own beef cattle enterprise or elevate their existing ventures. Participants will benefit from local agricultural insights that resonate with GenAngus’s core values, while immersing themselves in New Zealand’s rich Angus heritage.
As a cornerstone of youth leadership in agriculture, GenAngus has supported the growth and development of more than 50 young Angus breeders since the program’s commencement in 2019. The program brings together emerging leaders for an intensive workshop aimed at enhancing their knowledge and confidence in business management, providing them with essential skills to help navigate their careers in the beef industry.
The successful 2024 GenAngus Future Leaders Program participants are:
- Cody Best, Deloraine, TAS
- Jim Burrows, North Canterbury, NZ
- Elliott Connors, Scone, NSW
- Joseph Dewar, Guilderton, WA
- Sophie Hanna, Walwa, NSW
- Sam Hayden, Moriac, VIC
- Emma Hussey, Canterbury, NZ
- Lincoln McKinlay, Inverell, NSW
- Nathan Mura, McKinlay, QLD
- Kate Reid, Bukkulla, NSW
- Murk Schoen, Corowa, NSW
- Luke Stuckey, Flynn, VIC
- Sean Wright, Banana, QLD
During the three-day intensive workshop, participants will connect with a wide range of industry professionals on current and emerging themes impacting the future of beef production and the agricultural industry. The workshop covers several topics including business financials, beef business benchmarking, mindset, beef supply chain, risk and liability, and succession planning.
Angus Australia’s Extension Officer, Nancy Crawshaw said the volume of applicants for the 2024 GenAngus Program proves how highly regarded the program is within the industry.
“It was great to see a record number of applicants for our 2024 GenAngus Program in New Zealand, with the quality of applications improving year on year, making the selection all the more challenging for our panel,” she said.
“The experience the successful GenAngus participants will receive is not like anything else the beef industry has to offer, and in 2024 we will be drawing on industry expertise in New Zealand to add some great speakers to our lineup,” said Nancy.
“We really hope the applicants who have been selected make the most of the opportunity to take their career and/or business to another level.”
Achmea Australia Chief Executive Officer Emma Thomas congratulated the successful young beef industry leaders embarking on the GenAngus Future Leaders Program in 2024.
“Yet again, we were absolutely blown away by the number and calibre of applications for the GenAngus program, and we thank everyone for taking the time to apply for this leadership development program,” Emma said.
“Participating in GenAngus marks the beginning of a journey where the participants’ leadership and commitment to advancing the beef industry will help shape the beef industry’s future by embracing opportunity, innovation and resilience within our agricultural communities,” Emma continued.
“As an agricultural insurer with a co-operative heritage, we firmly believe in investing in the next generation of agricultural leaders to successfully navigate future challenges,” Emma said. “That is why we are proud to continue our multi-year partnership with Angus Australia and support initiatives like GenAngus that foster innovation, sustainability, and resilience in our agricultural communities.”
Insurance issued by Achmea Schadeverzekeringen N.V. (Achmea) ABN 86 158 237 702 AFSL 433984.
www.achmea.com.au
info@achmea.com.au
1800 724 214
Meet the GenAngus recipients
Cody Best, Deloraine, TAS is a fifth-generation farmer. After leaving school Cody pursued a career in the mining industry which saw him complete his trade certificate in Boilermaker Welding. Cody took over his family’s beef operation after his father’s passing December 2017. Although the agricultural industry is hard work, Cody finds it exceptionally rewarding. He loves being outdoors, enjoy exploring & fishing in his spare time. He also has a small workshop at home where he loves to design & create things; quite often innovations to make labor intensive work easier on the farm!
Jim Burrows, Waipara, NZ and his partner Kim have two sons, and are the owner/operators of Glenlake Farm. Their property is 840ha in Waipara, North Canterbury, and is focused on sheep and beef breeding and finishing. Jim’s early farming career involved working on large sheep and beef stations throughout the South Island. Over a period of years, Jim worked his way up to management roles at Red Oak Angus, and then Brackenfield Angus, where he developed a passion for stud breeding and Angus cattle. In 2018, after purchasing their own farm, Jim and Kim acquired their first Angus stud cows and set up Glenlake Farm. Outside of farming, Jim has a love for the outdoors, dog trialling, hunting, and fishing.
Sponsored by Angus New Zealand
Elliott Connors, Scone, NSW is a second-generation farmer. He farms 225 acres with his wife and two boys, with the farm is used to run stud cattle, as well as of 50 acres of irrigation. Elliott has been involved in the seedstock cattle industry for since the age of 11. He grew up in a semi-rural area, that was increasingly being taken over by mining. However, through his local school and agricultural society, his desire to work in the agricultural industry grew. After finishing high school, Elliott was accepted into the University of New England, where he studied a degree in Commerce majoring in Agribusiness, Accounting & Finance and took a pre-graduate job at a local accounting firm in his second year of university. From there Elliott completed his degree and then went onto to become a Chartered Accountant. He stayed with that firm for almost 16 years, servicing a number of clients in all industries, including agriculture. Recently he applied for the role of Accountant at Angus Australia, as he really wanted to follow his passion for the seedstock cattle industry utilising his skills in accounting.
Joseph Dewar, Guilderton, WA, along with his father, runs 400 stud Angus breeders, 500 commercial Angus breeders, 800 Merino ewes and crop up to 500 Ha mostly for their own feed. Their family has been farming livestock since the 1840’s. As the owner of the stud, Joseph makes the majority of management decisions across the operation. After his family, farming and breeding cattle is his passion. Joseph is a member of the WA Angus state breeder group, attending local farming events where possible, to contribute and keep up to date.
Sophie Hanna, Walwa, NSW, is a passionate, driven and enthusiastic agricultural science professional who aspires to contribute to the advancement and continued prosperity of Australian agriculture, particularly Australian beef. Her love for agriculture and rural communities stems from her family’s commercial Angus farm at Walwa in Northeast Victoria, where her interest and involvement continues. Currently, as a Livestock Officer with Riverine Plains, Sophie connects with industry leaders, innovative research and proactive farmers to integrate and extend technical insights and empower advancement of production and sustainability. As a motivated young professional, Sophie strives for growth through collaboration and in-depth engagement with the significant agricultural challenges and opportunities.
Sam Hayden, Moriac, VIC, grew up on a small farm on the Surf Coast, Victoria. His passion for cattle farming grew during his school years, with his parent’s purchase of a property in East Gippsland and following completion of work experience at an Angus stud. Having studied a Bachelor of Commerce and Marketing at university, Sam was driven by a desire to understand the intersection of business and agriculture, how strategic branding and technology can elevate agricultural ventures, and bridging the gap between traditional practices and modern consumer demands. Sam approaches farming with a unique perspective, recognising the importance of innovation and progression, along with traditional agricultural operations, and applies these practices in his family farming operations and overseeing the recent commencement of a new stud herd.
Now with a young family and his own farm on the Surf Coast, Sam spends his days there, as well as undertaking a marketing role in the family real estate business and working at his parent’s East Gippsland farm.
Emma Hussey, Canterbury, NZ, hails from the Canterbury High Country, where she grew up predominantly surrounded by high country sheep and beef farming, along with Mt Possession Angus. This fueled Emma’s passion for agriculture, which led to her studying a Bachelor of Agriculture with a Graduate Certificate in Applied Science at Lincoln University, which saw her expand her knowledge in Animal Science, Genetics and Plant Science. Emma views being selected for the GenAngus Future Leaders Program an honour and looks forward to connecting with inspiring speakers, and learning new skills around genetics, marketing and business benchmarking tools.
Sponsored by Angus New Zealand
Lincoln McKinlay, Inverell, NSW, is a young professional auctioneer and stud stock specialist, genuinely committed to advancing the seed stock businesses of his clients. Currently a valued member of the Elders NSW Stud stock team, he is one of the lead auctioneers for NSW and Northern Victoria. During high school he was invited to associate Judge at the Royal Christchurch Show in NZ in 2010, but his professional career really commenced in 2012, gaining six years of valuable experience as a commercial livestock agent at TopX Australia. Attending the World Wide Auction College in Iowa, USA in 2016, he earned a diploma in auctioneering. This was followed in 2017 by winning the National Young Auctioneers Competition at the Sydney Royal Show, and representing Australia at the Calgary Stampede, ultimately being awarded the International Rookie Champion Auctioneer title. 2018 saw a transition to Glasser Total Sales Management, taking on the running of stud stock sales across Southern QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, and WA. In 2020, he joined Elders Stud Stock, where he continues to collaborate closely with stud stock clients to enhance their genetics and elevate their profitability.
Nathan Mura, McKinlay, QLD, manages an aggregation of cattle properties. My proudest achievement was seeing five of his mentees progress into leadership and management roles throughout the northern pastoral sector. In his role as a leader, Nathan always encourage innovative thinking and continuous improvement. Nathan’s passion is undeniably enhancing the productivity of large-scale beef enterprises to achieve maximum profitability. He is keen to expand his network to both share his experiences and learn from industry professionals and peers in the agricultural sector. Nathan enjoys attending local campdrafts and races, interacting with likeminded graziers and people involved in the northern pastoral industry.
Kate Reid, Bukkulla, NSW, is a kind, trustworthy, young, career driven beef enthusiast. In her work, she is a passionate and conscientious employee who has great attention to detail and a focus on quality. Kate’s passion for beef cattle stems from her grandfather, who had a stud cattle beef business and has encouraged her to dedicate her career to the Australian beef industry. Outside of work, her hobbies include horse riding and competing at campdrafts/challenges, playing team sports and water skiing. She also enjoys travelling both within Australia and overseas.
Murk Schoen, Corowa, NSW, is Manager/Director of Schoen Pastoral, based at Corowa in southern NSW. He oversees a diverse range of enterprises, including dryland and irrigated winter and summer cropping, prime lamb, stud and commercial cattle. Murk has been working in the farming industry for 19 years. He completed his schooling at St Pauls college at Walla Walla and obtained his diploma in agriculture in 2009. Outside of work Murk enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys and flying this beautiful country with family and friends.
Luke Stuckey, Flynn, VIC, is a family farmer, who is passionate about the agriculture industry and breeding Angus cattle. Luke has enjoyed cattle work and all things farming since a young age. He enjoys seeing cattle and crops develop and grow under his management. He also has a passion for sport and helping others and is an assistant coach and Vice President of his local football club. Luke is also president of the local Flynn Farmers Group.
Sean Wright, Banana, QLD, is ambitious, enthusiastic, and energised to create positive change in northern beef production. Sean believes that through a constant drive to gain knowledge and utilisation of southern farming practices he can challenge the status quo. Through the incorporation of technology and utilisation of data, Sean hopes to record production from the ground up and by doing so, show other producers a pathway that is rewarding and sustainable in northern Australia.
Supporting the next generation of beef leaders
Learn, grow, and connect with fellow agricultural leaders, including inspiring prior successful participants of the GenAngus Future Leaders Program at Beef Australia. As a supporting partner for Beef Australia, Achmea Australia will host an interactive panel session, ‘Supporting the Next Generation of Beef Leaders’ featuring:
- Emma Thomas, Panellist – CEO Achmea Australia
- Jake Phillips, Panellist – Extension Manager, Angus Australia
- Nancy Crawshaw, Panellist –2022 GenAngus Future Leader
- Hannah Powe, Panellist – 2023 GenAngus Future Leader
- Ed Bradley, Panellist – 2023 GenAngus Future Leader
- Jack Laurie, Panellist – 2022 GenAngus Future Leader
Tickets are available via the Beef Australia website.
