Beef Australia 2021: Cattle producers ‘incredibly positive’, confident

“Incredibly positive” is how cattle producers are being described by red-meat body boss Jason Strong, as industry leaders gauge confidence at Beef Australia 2021.

Capitalising on market opportunities and driving efficiencies on farm is paramount for producers while the livestock industry is riding high, according to key industry figures.

In the last three years since producers and industry gathered together at Beef Australia – Australia’s premier beef event in Rockhampton – the agricultural industry has withstood drought, fire, flood, and the effects of COVID-19.

Speaking at Beef Australia earlier this week, Meat and Livestock Australia managing director Jason Strong said sentiment on the ground was “incredibly positive”, with producers being rewarded for their resilience with record high young cattle prices.

Meat and Livestock Australia managing director Jason Strong.

“You see the excitement around the grounds … I think we’re in some of the best times we’ve ever seen, not just that we’ve had a good season across the country, and prices are in really good shape, but there are macro drovers globally putting us in a position we’ve never seen before,” Mr Strong said.

The global coronavirus pandemic has also presented opportunities for Australian agriculture, resulting in a broader acceptance of agricultural technology, according to AuctionsPlus chief executive Angus Street.

“We’ve seen massive growth in the last 18 months, driven by COVID-19 and there’s been a big swing towards online and digital adoption,” Mr Street said.

“But it’s the confidence in the sector which is driving that adoption. It’s pushing producers into a space or environment where they have to look at innovations in beef technology and agricultural technology … that investment in innovation is really exciting. There’s challenges which come with that … but that level of passion and desire into ag tech is really exciting.”

Mr Street said agricultural innovations aimed at saving time, money, or making money, will serve the industry well in the future.

“If an agtech or beeftech starts up to solve one of those needs … it’ll be one of the pillars driving profitability for the beef sector.”

David Hill, a cattle producer from central Queensland, said despite the number of cattle turned off in recent years, the confidence of the industry shone through.

“We see the opportunities, to improve what we do … we’re in a global market and are producing some of the best beef in the world, and we leverage off the credentials of the industry,” Mr Hill said.

“ … we have a rain gauge on our property that’s had less than five inches (of rain) this year. We took advantage … we sold cattle at the end of last year at 420kg for what we’d normally get for them at 600kg.

“It’s going to get more challenging over time, and you’ve got to be able to plan for the variances and reduce your risk.”

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