‘Beyond the beef’ looks to the future
Over 215 delegates from right across Australia and New Zealand converged on Tamworth last week to delve ‘Beyond the Beef’ at the Zoetis Angus National Conference.
With a theme focusing on the future of the beef industry and agriculture in general delegates left Tamworth with an eye to future proofing their production systems and remaining at the forefront of the beef industry.
A highlight of the two day conference was the trade stand area and the Gala Dinner with special guest, former Wallaby David Campese and $12,950 being raised for the Angus Foundation during the Foundation Auction.
A big thank you to all of our sponsors, without their support the Conference would not have been possible, so please make sure you support them!
Plenary sessions at the conference were as follows –
Day 1 Session 1: SPONSORED BY ZOETIS:
- Jason Strong, Meat & Livestock Australia, spoke about the ‘Big Picture’ on how Australian Beef Producers are positioned to feed the world and how MLA is supporting beef producers to ‘crack on and get it done’!
- Matt Toll, Fulton Market Group, gave an insight into ‘Beefing up our future’ and highlighted that Australia provides 70% of McDonald’s restaurants globally
- Matt Petersen, Zoetis, spoke on ‘ImmuneReady’ the optimal strategy to leverage investment in genomic testing’
Day 1 Session 2: SPONSORED BY ACHMEA:
- Dr Sam Clark, UNE spoke about the power of efficient beef production, breeding for low methane emissions
- Hamish Webb, Precision Pastures gave a producers perspective on carbon farming
- Bonnie Cox, Chris Metcalfe, Brianna Maslen and Damien Thomson joined a panel to speak on how investing in the next generation will shape the beef industry of the future.
Day 2 Breakfast Session SPONSORED BY VYTELLE
- Dr Bruno Sanches from Vytelle introducing attendees to Vytelle’s IVF Program and how to maximise your herds potential with technology
- A panel of breeders (Chris Metcalfe, Frank Archer, Noeleen Branson, James Laurie, Forbes Cameron, Heath Tiller & Nick Boshammer) on Angus breed versatility and what they think might challenge us.
Day 2 Session 2 SPONSORED BY Repro360:
- Christian Duff, Angus Australia spoke about the value the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation brings to Australian & New Zealand Angus Breeders
- Dr David Johnston, AGBU, spoke about how genomics adds value and precision to the TACE analysis
- Dr Aaron Ingham, CSIRO gave us the latest updates on ImmuneDEX
- Dr Pamela Alexandre, CSIRO spoke on the research being conducted into being able to breed pinkeye resilient cattle
Day 2 Session 3 SPONSORED BY BEEF AUSTRALIA:
- Andrew McDonald, NH Foods Australia, delved in to ‘How Australian beef producers help deliver the joy of eating’
- Dean Eastwood, CC Seymour South Killanoola, provided a practical example of a large scale operation putting management practices in to place to ensure they have a viable future
- Jake Phillips, Angus Australia, spoke on ‘The evolution of Angus’
Read the full conference report in the upcoming Winter Bulletin.
Feature Image: CEO Scott Wright with James Laurie, Nick Boshammer, Heath Tiller, Forbes Cameron, Noeleen Branson, Frank Archer and Chris Metcalfe following their panel session on the diversity and versatility of the Angus breed.
