Reporting from the ‘Beyond the Beef’ Zoetis Angus National Conference
The recent ‘Beyond the Beef’ Zoetis Angus National Conference was all about bringing the Angus Family together from all reaches. One of those who travelled to join the conference event in Tamworth was the Angus Foundation Conference Scholarship recipient Annie Palmer.
Annie travelled from Mt Magnificent, SA, to join her fellow delegates for the three- day event, which took place from May 17th – 19th, 2023.
“I am incredibly grateful to have been given the opportunity by Angus Australia to attend the ‘Beyond the Beef’ Zoetis Angus National Conference,” said Annie.
“It was a great 3 days of learning and networking that has been invaluable to my operation breeding Angus and Angus Simmental cross bulls.”
Annie began her conference experience by joining the pre-conference tour, which visited Elder’s Killara Feedlot, Quirindi,
Killain Angus, Tamworth, and Heart Angus, Tamworth, all topped off with a delicious lunch supplied by Verified Black Angus Beef brand, Jack’s Creek.
“I found the tour of the feedlot a great insight into a side of our industry that I haven’t had a lot of involvement in before,” she said. “I hadn’t given carbon offset projects much thought prior to visiting the feedlot, and I will definitely be doing some more research into what we can implement in my operation.”
With the theme of the conference looking ‘Beyond the Beef’, the sessions covered topics that highlighted the outlook for Australia in the world protein space, biosecurity, the supply chain of the future, how Angus work in varying environments, management opportunities for the future, emerging young leaders and more.
“The sessions were where I found a lot of new concepts as well as bringing back to light some notions that need more attention in my operation. It was great to hear from all parts of the industry, from breeders, both stud and commercial, as well as processors.”
“It gave me great insight into the areas that I should be fine tuning in my breeding objectives and what more I can implement to improve how we raise our bulls for clients. Having a better understanding of what the industry needs and how to achieve this was my biggest take away.”
Not only was the conference a source of inspiration for Annie in terms of developing her own beef business according to some of her take homes, she also was able to utilise the event as valuable networking opportunity.
“I really enjoyed catching up with people I haven’t seen in a while as well as meeting new people and hearing about their operations and what works for them. I look forward to putting to use what I have learned and using the contacts I have made over the course of the conference for years to come.”
Feature Image: Annie Palmer and Nancy Crawshaw, Angus Australia
– Cheyne Twist, Senior Marketing and Communications Officer
