MLA Red Meat Updates conference held in Launceston in 2016

That is the message sent to more than 350 producers and industry representatives who attended Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA) annual Red Meat Updates conference.

The conference was held in Launceston, Tasmania, in July.

A strong producer attendance rate at the conference showed the confidence in the sector and the willingness of producers to hear advice from industry to help them get the most out of their product, according to MLA managing director Richard Norton.

“We try to carve markets within markets and [having strong producer attendance] goes a way to showing the producer why they are asked to do certain things on farm,” Mr Norton said.

“At the end of the day we are trying to ensure customers pay a premium for this product.”

Mr Norton said Tasmania was a strong and important part of the national beef story because it had carved out a brand and name for itself as a place of consistently high quality.

“Tasmania has to have that branding and competitive offering to its global customers that is different to everybody else in the world, and they have … they have exploited that very well,” he said.

“Where Tasmania sits in production [etc] as a state, it’s just one of those areas that is known for its consistency and high value product and people will pay a premium.”

Mr Norton said Tasmanian beef producers were reaping the benefits of record high beef prices and was well placed to take advantage of unseasonable conditions that affected other parts of Australia.

“Even though Tasmania has had a dry autumn, it didn’t last for four years [like in other states],” he said.

Tasmanian beef producers are also the quickest and largest adopters of beef efficiency and consumer strategies, that aim to improve the consumer experience with beef products.

Tarraleah farmer Leon Quilliam is a good example of that and he shared his story with the conference delegates.

Mr Quilliam grew his compliance among his herd from 46 per cent to 90pc through good breeding and traceability.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a finisher or a breeder, the identification of animals is paramount,” he said.

“There’s no point breeding animals from any old cow, they need to have traceability right through.”

Mr Quilliam said he placed importance on traceability, temperament and breeding to create good mobs that suited his property’s rotational grazing patterns.

Producer and chairman of the King Island beef producers group Richard Sutton was one of the key speakers during the morning sessions of the conference.

Mr Sutton shared how his experiences had helped his business to evolve and how he was able to turn a negative into a positive on his own farm.

“In 2012 after our local abattoir shut down I was thrown into the position of chairman of the beef producers group,” Mr Sutton Said.

“I didn’t have the skills to deal with the situation.” 

Mr Sutton said the sudden closure of the abattoir meant his family farm operation needed to change.

As a result, he needed to also change to acquire more skills and networks needed to adjust to the industry challenge.

Participation in rural leadership programs assisted Mr Sutton to learn the skills he needed, and he graduated from Marcus Oldham Agricultural College in 2005.

“If you see an opportunity to further your skill set, to create networks, take it, you could surprise yourself,” Mr Sutton told the forum.

The closure of the abattoir forced the farm to make two key changes, to improve the quality of their cattle for shipping and to put greater focus on the best use of their pastures.

The farm now has diversified into a small but growing sheep flock and has achieved a 93pc compliance rate among Mr Sutton’s beef cattle.