![Melissa Fletcher, Fletcher International Exports. File photo. Melissa Fletcher, Fletcher International Exports. File photo.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/32XghFRykTWK8psrWNhdBMC/10af95a6-520d-414b-b65b-d4aadef4d270.JPG/r1216_559_4249_2530_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Fletcher leads AMPC
The Australian Meat Processor Corporation's newly board has elected Fletcher International's chief executive officer, Melissa Fletcher, as its new chair following her two-term stint as deputy chair.
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Industry affairs manager at Teys Australia, Dr John Langbridge, takes on the deputy's job.
Ms Fletcher, who first joined the board in 2017, has more than 30 years of industry experience with one of Australia's largest processors and exporters of lamb and sheep meat products.
Proud of her indigenous heritage, she represents a new generation of red meat industry leaders with a unique and valuable perspective to the AMPC.
"I thank the outgoing board for setting a solid foundation and I am committed to ensuring sound governance of AMPC to maximise value for the red meat processing industry," she said.
Dr Langbridge, elected to the boar for his first term in November, is a veterinarian who worked for the Australia Department of Agriculture for 27 years and the Australian Meat Industry Council before joining Teys.
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Carbon-tag partnership
Carbon soil technology developer, AgriProve and Ceres Tag will collaborate to combine Ceres Tag's smart ear tag technology with AgriProve's expertise in soil carbon and carbon credit generation.
Ceres Tag is the creator of the world's first direct-to-satellite animal monitoring platform.
The partnership promises to give farmers enhanced productivity, precise livestock management, and innovative pathways to profitability through effective carbon management.
AgriProve claims to be the fastest growing carbon soiltech developer in Australia supporting over 600 projects spanning 165,000 hectares.
Ceres Tag's platform for livestock monitoring, provides feed efficiency and methane emissions data on animal movement and health, helping producers' productivity decisions.
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Farm podcast milestone
The appetite for specialist food and agricultural sector knowledge has pushed Rabobank's podcast channel - RaboResearch Podcasts - to a milestone of 1 million downloads.
The free podcasts, hosted by RaboResearch food and agri analysts in Australia and New Zealand, have provided farmers with "fast and easy" engagement with the latest local and global food and agricultural research findings and industry developments for 540 episodes.
Topics range from the latest developments in the grains, livestock, dairy, fibre and farm input sectors through to everything from the impact of the Israel/Hamas war on Australian agriculture to the drivers of chocolate price inflation.
RaboResearch's Australian and NZ general manager, Stefan Vogel said while the podcasts were not just accessible to primary producers while at work on-farm, they were also proving popular with listeners involved in the food and agribusiness industry, including industry leaders, plus others with an interest in agriculture.
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Milking his pay at A2
The managing director of trans-Tasman dairy business A2 Milk Company is the only agribusiness boss to make it into the ranks of Australia's top 50 highest paid chief executive officers, as rated by The Australian Financial Review.
Australian-based David Bortolussi, whose reported annual remuneration grew three per cent in the past financial year to $8.2 million, placed 11th on the latest list.
He has run A2 Milk for almost three years, having moved from the underwear business at Hanesbrands in 2021.
Coles supermarket group's, Steve Cain, ranked in eighth position with a reported annual salary of $10.24m, although he retired in June, while Woolworths chief, Brad Baducci, was well behind in 16th spot on $7.7m.
Macquarie Group's Shemara Wikramanayake is Australia's highest paid CEO for the third year, with her reported pay in 2022-23 up almost 30pc to $30.4m
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Sour result for sugar board
Queensland's big bulk export infrastructure business, Sugar Terminals Limited has copped a bruising from grower shareholders who voted down the company's board's remuneration report at the November annual general meeting.
"A year ago growers were largely unconcerned about STL's performance - it was viewed as a guardian of strategically important industry-owned assets, and enjoyed trust and respect," said Canegrowers organisation chairman, Owen Menkens.
"That trust was clearly eroded by the company's actions in the past year."
In January STL announced it was taking control of operations at its bulk sugar sites in Cairns, Mourilyan, Lucinda, Townsville, Mackay and Bundaberg, previously managed by not-for-profit industry operator Queensland Sugar Limited.
STL, majority owned by corporate entities including millers and marketers, has argued operating its own terminals streamlined their operations, eliminated duplication, and avoided conflicts of interest.
However, Mr Menkens said insourcing operations created a divide across the industry and an "overly personal debate" with STL and QSL travelling the industry to each argue their case for operating the terminals.
The decision was symptomatic of a greater risk of STL's board becoming out of touch with the industry it served.
Canegrowers members' expectations of the board included maintaining terminal ownership and control within "the active side of the sugar industry".
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Zoetis helps Beyond Blue
Animal health business Zoetis has reached its goal of raising $100,000 for the Beyond Blue Support Service to support mental health initiatives and reduce stigma around mental illness in regional Australia.
Zoetis started partnering with Beyond Blue in 2016, and since then, has raised $800,000 for the Beyond Blue Support Service by donating $5 from each sale of the company's livestock, pig, and poultry vaccines and drenches.
Zoetis Senior vice president and Australia and New Zealand lead, Lance Williams, said the company worked closely with rural Australia's farming community, agricultural stores, veterinarians and their families and was proud to support Beyond Blue's important work.
"The money raised goes directly to the Beyond Blue Support Service to continue helping people living in remote areas," he said.
"Thanks to Zoetis' donation more than 14,000 people have been able to get the support they need through the service."