Rockhampton beefs up thought leadership

23/2/21

Rockhampton is ramping up preparations to host thought leaders and stakeholders in Australia’s cattle industry for a multi-day conference in May.

From 2-8 May, the Queensland town will hold Beef Australia 2021, set to begin with a symposium presented by Central Queensland University, Beef Central reports.

Talking about topical issues, the presentations will feature University of California Department of Animal Science professor Frank Mitloehner, Meat Business Women founder and global chair Laura Ryan, Macquarie Group head of agriculture Elizabeth O’Leary and Bega Cheese executive chairman Barry Irvin.

At the conference, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) will have a trade site, showcase innovative technologies and present seminars on ‘pasture dieback, genetics, and the Northern Breeding Business program’, according to a statement.

MLA General Manager, research, development and adoption, Michael Crowley said that at the showcase, “producers can learn how to use data such as eating quality, pasture management and genetic selection to connect the production system with the rest of the supply chain to improve efficiency and optimise production.”

A couple of new innovations are being recognised by the Australian agriculture community.

One hundred Australian farmers have worked with Australian Soil Planner agronomists to develop best-practice Australian Sustainable Products (ASP) Certified standards.

Said to be the first in the world, the standards benchmark regenerative and sustainable farmers and processors together with their produce, Grain Central reports.

Farmers adhering to the ASP standards contributed to reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent compared to normal wheat production results, ASP executive officer Miriam Neilson said.

Neilson said certification started among grain producers, but now includes producers of beer, eggs, and livestock feed.

Australian farmers will now be able to monitor water levels by connecting to low-orbit satellites.

Goanna Ag, a provider of farm sensors based in Queensland, launched devices last week that connect to an Internet-of-Things network provided by Myriota, an Australian satellite company.

The companies say the connection is a world-first, Joseph Brookes writes for Which-50. Each device costs $1000 and the connection fee is a further $120 per year.  

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