You are invited to join us on Wednesday May 17^th for the ‘Beyond the Beef’ Zoetis Angus National Pre Conference Tour.

The tour will be a full day firstly visiting Killara Feedlot and then heading out for some farm visits to beef operations in the local area, including Killain Angus and Heart Angus.

The day will finish up with a Welcome Function on the Terrace at the West Tamworth League Club.

PROGRAM
7.45am Mercure departure
8.00am Ibis Departure
Killara Feedlot Visit
11.30am Lunch SPONSORED BY JACK’S CREEK
12.30pm – Departure for Killain Angus
3.30pm – Departure for Heart Angus
5.30 – Depature for Tamworth
7pm – Welcome Function SPONSORED BY NH FOODS AUSTRALIA & WHYALLA BEEF, The Terrace West Tamworth League Club

COST: $33 gst incl.

PURCHASE TOUR & WELCOME FUNCTION TICKETS HERE

KILLARA FEEDLOT

On the outskirts of Quirindi, New South Wales, lies Killara feedlot, a licensed 20,000-head beef cattle feedlot operated by Elders. Killara Feedlot is a leading supplier of high-quality grain fed cattle to both domestic and international markets.

KILLAIN ANGUS

The Killain Angus Stud’s operation is a family run business. Principals Richard and Susie Duddy are connected to generations of cattle breeding and have been based at their property ‘Killain’ for over 20 years.

HEART ANGUS

Heart Angus is run by the Paterson family 10km south of AELEC, Tamworth in the New England Highway. The stud was established in 2011 with an aim to produce productive cattle to suit all markets, with a focus being on breeding easy doing, fertile animals which are deep bodied and well-muscled.

Taking place from 7pm – 10pm on Wednesday May 17th in The Terrace Bar, West Tamworth League Club, the Welcome Function will be a great way to unwind and catch up with friends prior to the conference kicking off.

COST: $44 gst incl. Ticket includes substantial cocktail food. Drinks at bar prices.

PURCHASE WELCOME FUNCTION TICKETS HERE

Jason Strong, Meat & Livestock Australia – ‘The big picture: how are Australian beef producers positioned to feed the world?’

Jason Strong has more than 30 years’ red meat and livestock experience, knowledge and connections from the farm
through to the end consumer in both domestic and international markets. He is a well-recognised and respected
senior executive with extensive skills in commercial and industry business management and administration, supply
chain development, meat science and grading, genetics and marketing as well as on-farm experience. Jason Strong is
Managing Director of Meat & Livestock Australia Ltd and is a director of Integrity Systems Company Limited, MLA
Donor Company Limited, AUS-MEAT Limited and Red Meat Traceability Systems Pty Ltd.

Matt Toll, FMG – ‘Beefing up our future: how domestic and international consumers are driving demand’

Matt Toll has been actively involved in the international beef industry for over 30 years with a career spanning
beef fabrication, import and export sales and logistics, global business development, strategic sourcing, market
access and supply chain innovation.
As CEO of Fulton Market Group, one of the world’s largest full service consolidated raw material procurement
companies with operations in 3 countries, Matt oversees 70% of McDonald’s global beef and pork
requirements.
Through engaging with local market teams, strategic suppliers, industry bodies and government, Matt and his
team deliver both long term assured supply and competitive advantage through flexible and sustainable
sourcing strategies across multiple markets and supply channels including North America, Australia, New
Zealand, LATAM, Asia and the Middle East.

Matt Peterson, Zoetis –’Immune Ready: the optimal strategy to leverage investment in genomic testing’

Matthew Petersen BVetBiol, BVSc – Veterinary Operations Manager – Livestock, Zoetis

Meet Matt, a passionate veterinarian committed to improving animal health and productivity. Matt hails from the Southern Riverina of NSW. Matt completed his veterinary degree at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga in 2010 and is a part of the veterinary operations team at Zoetis. As part of his role, he is responsible for providing technical training on various animal health issues and mitigation strategies, utilizing the diverse range of tools available in Zoetis’ arsenal.

As a member of the executive team of the Australian Cattle Veterinarians, Matt played a key role in creating the Immune Ready Guidelines, which represent a collaborative effort across the industry to enhance the health and productivity of cattle during selling and transportation. The guidelines aim to minimize the spread of diseases and improve biosecurity measures for farmers involved in the buying and selling of cattle.

Sam Clark, University of New England – ‘The power of efficient beef production’

Dr Sam Clark is an Associate Professor of Animal Breeding and Genetics at UNE. Sam has rapidly built an esteemed reputation in animal breeding and has become one of the most respected animal genetics researchers nationally. Sam’s expertise centres on the prediction of breeding values and the optimal use of information within animal breeding programs. He is currently involved in research projects regarding genetic evaluation and genomic selection in sheep, beef cattle, chickens and dairy cattle. These projects underpin the generation of reference datasets for key traits such as traits for productivity, meat quality, feed efficiency, methane outputs, animal health and welfare to underpin national genomic selection pipelines. At UNE he also plays a key role in teaching and mentoring up and coming PhD candidates as well as students in the Bachelor of Rural Science and Agricultural degrees.

Hamish Webb, Precision Pastures – ‘Be the solution: how to make carbon work for you’

Hamish Webb is a Director and Interim CEO of Precision Pastures and a sheep and (Angus) cattle farmer based near Uralla in the New England region of NSW.

Hamish holds a Bachelor of Agribusiness and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and has previously worked in agricultural and equity capital markets, live export, and red meat industries.

Precision Pastures is an independent soil, pasture and carbon services company.

We use the latest technology, satellite imagery and GPS soil testing equipment to assist farmers across Australia to achieve their objectives in production and soil carbon farming.

We put data first and central to all our services and back it up with direct access to our regionally based agronomists.

Bonnie Cox, Brianna Maslen , Chris Mectalfe & Damien Thomson – ‘Investing in the next generation: How focusing on people will shape the future of the beef industry’

Bonnie Cox
“Originally hails from Armidale NSW and now resides on a commercial beef operation in Berry on the NSW South
Coast. Bonnie is currently studying a Bachelor of Agriculture and works at AuctionsPlus. Bonnie has always had a passion for horses alongside her love for bovines and will always have her head in a book.”

Brianna Maslen
Brianna Maslen is a full time PhD student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. Brianna grew up in Canberra and moved to Wagga to complete her undergraduate degree in Animal Science at CSU. She graduated Animal Science with a first-class Honours in 2019. Her honours project focused on the temporal changes in the gut microbial profiles of beef cattle on feedlot placement. Intrigued by her honours research, Brianna decided to pursue a PhD on a related project. Brianna’s doctoral research project is focused on determining whether faecal microbial profiles can be used to distinguish between animals with divergent phenotypes for growth performance or immune competence. Her project has been supported with data from the Angus Australia Sire Benchmarking Program and is now funded by Angus Australia when Brianna was awarded the Angus Foundation Research Grant. It has also been supported with funding from Charles Sturt University and an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship. Brianna is passionate about research and development that relates to the red meat industry and is keen on translating her research findings into practical applications that benefit beef cattle enterprises.   

Chris Metcalfe
Chris farms on the south coast of Western Australia with his parents Richard and Christine and brother Tim. They run a mixed farming enterprise across 18,000 ac with cattle being their priority and the largest part of their business. Together, they run the Koojan Hills Angus stud and Melaleuca Murray Grey stud as well as a 1,500 head commercial herd that is a 70:30 mix of Angus and Murray Greys. Primarily, their commercial herd produces grass fed cattle for the supermarket trade. They trade steers acquired from Koojan Hills and Melaleuca clients and will be aiming to supply approximately 2,000 grass fed cattle to Woolworths in the spring of 2023 targeting 270-280kg carcase weights.  

Damien Thomson
Damien is currently the senior analyst in the AuctionsPlus Market Insights team and formerly an industry economist at ABARES. Damien has grown up on his family’s beef cattle operation, Shacorrahdalu Pastoral near Yass, and is passionate about the breeding and marketing of performance Angus genetics. He has been an active Angus youth member, including recently extending his network internationally to New Zealand as a recipient of the Trans-Tasman Travel Bursary.  

COST:  $77 gsts incl. Includes Day 1 plenary sessions and catering only (Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea) NOTE: Day 1 is included with full with Full Conference Registration $280 gst incl.

To BOOK YOUR TICKET for the Day 1 or Full Conference CLICK HERE.

The Annual General Meeting of Members of The Angus Society of Australia Limited will be held at

4:00pm (AEST) Thursday 18^th May 2023      

(following Day 1 of “Beyond the Beef” Angus National Conference)

Dennis Condon Room, West Tamworth League Club
58 Phillip Street, West Tamworth NSW 2340

and via Zoom video/teleconference 

The Angus Australia Board and some staff will be in attendance to meet with members and guests.

To RSVP or for more information, contact the Angus Australia office on 02 6773 4600 or email amanda@angusaustralia.com.au

Pre-registration will be required to participate via video/teleconference.

PRE REGISTRATION – CLICK HERE

Please note that connection details for online participation in the AGM will only be provided to members who complete the pre-registration process.

It will not be possible to participate in the online meeting without pre-registering.  Pre-registration will close at 5:00pm (AEST) Tuesday 16th May 2023.

Full and Honorary Life Members who are unable to attend the AGM are encouraged to complete and return a Proxy Voting Form which can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.

Proxy Voting Forms must be received by 5:00pm (AEST) Tuesday 16^th May 2023.

Kathryn Duddy
Company Secretary

21^st April, 2023.

For an evening of fundraising and great company join Angus Australia for the upcoming ‘Beyond the Beef’ Zoetis Angus National Conference gala dinner, which will take place following the first day of the conference on Thursday, May 18th at the West Tamworth League Club. 

The evening is sure to be an insightful one, with the guests being treated to keynote speaker David Campese.   

Australian born David Campese or ’CAMPO’ as he is fondly known, was the most elusive and exciting rugby player of the 80s and 90s rugby era. Representing Australia for 15 years and New South Wales for 11 years, David was the first player in history to score a record of 64 tries in test matches and the first Wallaby to reach 100 tests.  

David travels the world as a keynote speaker for both business and rugby related events. He relates his fascinating journey and rise to fame and attributes his success to naivety, risk taking, courage and self-belief. 

The evening will kick off in the Royal Gardens at 6.30pm with pre dinner drinks and canapes, proudly sponsored by Neogen Australasia. 

To accompany the exciting keynote speaker, the evening will serve as a fundraising endeavour, with an auction set to take place raising funds for the Angus Foundation.  The Angus Foundation provides a mechanism for members and other beef industry stakeholders to support youth development, education and research programs conducted by Angus Australia. 

COST:  $110 gsts incl. Includes pre dinner drinks sponsored by Neogen, 2 course dinner and entertainment. Drinks at bar prices. NOTE: Gala Dinner is included with Full Conference Registration $280 gst incl.

To BOOK YOUR TICKET for the gala dinner CLICK HERE.

Dr Bruno Sanches, Vytelle – ‘Unlocking your herd’s potential through hormone free IVF’

Bruno Sanches, DVM, Vytelle VP of Operations, is responsible for the technical development and management of the Vytelle product portfolio, including its revolutionary FSH-free ovum pick-up and IVF process. Between 2017 to 2020, as Chief Operating Officer, Sanches has led Vytelle’s efforts to develop new processes to optimize IVF success for dairy and beef producers around the world. Sanches is an expert in animal reproduction, livestock IVF and embryo cryopreservation, and previously served as director for ABS Global and production director for In Vitro Brasil. He earned his DVM in 2003 and also his Ph.D from Londrina State University in Brazil.

Along with his 20 years working in the Animal Reproduction Industry, Sanches is an established researcher and author, having written and collaborated on 20+ articles submitted to journals including Animal Reproduction, Theriogenology, Reproduction in Domestic Animals and Reproduction Fertility and Development.

Sanches is a member of the International Embryo Technology Society (IETS) and the Brazilian Society of Embryo Technology (SBTE). Sanches was awarded “The Roberto Jorge Chebel Award for Applied Research” by SBTE at its 2017 annual meeting.

Synopses

Unlocking your herd’s potential through hormone free IVF 

Dr Bruno Sanches will take you on a journey outlining how you can unlock your herd’s potential using hormone free IVF. Vytelle’s propriety media along with their modern procedures are transforming IVF results globally. Be the first to hear you can access this technology in your herd locally in Australia in 2023.

Chris Metcalfe, Frank Archer, Noeleen Branson, Forbes Cameron & Heath Tiller – ‘Breed versatility positioning: Why do Angus work for you?’

Chris Metcalfe
Chris farms on the south coast of Western Australia with his parents Richard and Christine and brother Tim. They run a mixed farming enterprise across 18,000 ac with cattle being their priority and the largest part of their business. Together, they run the Koojan Hills Angus stud and Melaleuca Murray Grey stud as well as a 1,500 head commercial herd that is a 70:30 mix of Angus and Murray Greys. Primarily, their commercial herd produces grass fed cattle for the supermarket trade. They trade steers acquired from Koojan Hills and Melaleuca clients and will be aiming to supply approximately 2,000 grass fed cattle to Woolworths in the spring of 2023 targeting 270-280kg carcase weights.

Frank Archer
Co-Principal of the Landfall Angus herd based in Northern Tasmania, Landfall’s focus is to produce genetics that are relevant for commercial beef production systems. Frank has a passion for improving productivity and profitability through improved grazing management, refined cattle management, and the use of appropriate genetics. Landfall supplies bulls to its client base across most states of Australia with two on-property sales annually.

Noeleen Branson
I have been most fortunate to have been involved with the Angus Breed all my life.

My parents started an Angus Stud in 1971.

I competed in the National Junior Angus Herdsman’s Contest at the Angus Beef Classic at Wodonga in 1986.

I was invited to join the Victorian Committee of the Angus Society of Australia in 1987, replacing my deceased father. I have served on that Committee for all but a brief period.

Along with my Husband Stephen we founded Banquet Angus in 1991. This has given us so many great opportunities of building great relationships both in Australia and Overseas.

Now selling over 200 bulls annually through auction and private treaty. 2023 has seen bulls go to every State.

I have been a very passionate and active supporter of Youth movements. Have supplied large teams of heifers for participants at Angus Youth Round Ups over the Eastern States from Mt. Gambier to Armidale. Served on many of these Round Up Committees. I was awarded the 2012 Stewart Award from Angus Australia for my contribution to Angus Youth. Judged Handlers and Heifer classes at Angus Round Ups, SA Heifer Show and Melbourne Royal School Competitions.

Forbes Cameron
I left school in 1964 and started farming and shearing.  By 1969 I was in partnership with my brother, and we had saved enough to put a deposit on our first farm. 12years later we went our separate ways and I have bought and sold various properties since then and presently farm 2000HA, 1700 effective with my son Angus running around 18000SU.

I started our Angus stud in 1999 and presently have 300 plus cows. We also have two sheep studs with approximately 2000 ewes, therefore consequently spring is busy with 300+ calves to weigh and record along with 4000 stud lambs to be weighed tagged and recorded.

Health Tiller
Heath is a fifth generation beef cattle producer who owns and operates the Goolagong Angus stud and HB Rural Feedlot with his wife Jenna and parents Brian and Diane Tiller at properties in the Mid North and South East of South Australia.

Goolagong stud formed in 1979 with Santa Gertrudis cattle, and in 2014 the stud expanded to include Angus.  Since then the Goolagong Angus stud herd has increased to 400 head. This year, for the first time, Goolagong held an on-property bull sale in the South East to compliment it’s traditional Mid North bull sale.

Heath has a strong interest in not only producing quality stud animals, but also purchasing well-bred animals for the HB Rural Feedlot to produce a quality beef product for both domestic and export markets. The feedlot has strong relationships with its bull clients and regularly buys back feeder cattle for the feedlot.

Christian Duff, Angus Australia – ‘TACE: Built for Australian and New Zealand Angus cattle breeders’

Christian Duff is the General Manager of Genetic Improvement at Angus Australia. This senior role involves managing a team to deliver Angus Australia’s Genetic Evaluation services (such as TACE, Geneprob and Angus HeiferSELECT) and the growing R&D portfolio (including the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program and the Low Methane Beef Program).

Christian is based in Armidale, NSW and has been working at Angus Australia for 9 years. He previously worked for ABRI for 14 years (the commercialises of BREEDPLAN), mainly in an extension and education capacity, both in Northern and Southern Australia.

Further, Christian is currently a part-time PhD candidate at the University of New England focussing on research to further “understand and improve genetic for meat quality in beef cattle”.

Synopses

The presentation with provide the latest overview of TACE and why it is unparalleled for the genetic evaluation Angus cattle in Australia and New Zealand

Dr David Johnston, AGBU – ‘TACE: Genomics adds value & precision’

David is a beef cattle geneticist at the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU) at the University of New England, Armidale. David has been responsible for the design and management of several large beef cattle breeding projects, and the implementation of the research into BREEDPLAN. David’s expertise is mainly in the area of mixed model estimation and prediction and a major focus of his work has been the development of genetic evaluation procedures for new traits and research into the incorporation of DNA-based data into EBVs. Currently, David is project leader of a large MLA-funded breeding project in Queensland and the Northern Territory that is developing enhanced genetic evaluation of female reproduction traits through the implementation of new genomic selection techniques in tropically-adapted beef breeds. David spends considerable time interacting with the beef industry and has been an invited speaker at scientific forums both nationally and internationally.

Synopses

This presentation will outline the latest R&D findings demonstrating the value and additional precision provided by the inclusion of genomics in TACE.

Dr Aaron Ingham, CSIRO – ‘ImmuneDEX – The latest findings’

Dr Aaron Ingham has been with CSIRO for 27 years. Aaron commenced as a Postdoctoral Fellow based at the Australian Animal Health Lab (AAHL) in 1996 before moving to Brisbane as a research scientist in 2002. Aaron was a Group Leader between 2009-2023 where he was responsible for a range of projects addressing animal health, welfare and resilience. Key project areas include the development of the Immune Competence trait (ImmuneDEX) and on animal sensing technologies such as the eGrazor, which can classify animal behaviour and health status in real time and estimate daily dry matter intake. Recently Aaron has stepped down from his Group Leader role to focus on advancing these key research areas. Aaron is the author of more than 90 research papers that have been cited over 3,500 times.

Synopses

Angus ImmuneDEX Research Breeding Values were released for the first time at the last national conference in. this presentation will provide the latest developments and findings for this resilience focussed information

Dr Pamela Alexandre, CSIRO – ‘Can we breed pinkeye resilient Angus?’

Pâmela Alexandre is a research scientist at CSIRO’s Animal Genomics team, based in Brisbane. She holds Master’s and PhD degrees in Animal Science from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, where she worked with gene expression data to propose a biological model for feed efficiency regulation in indicine cattle. In 2019 she joined CSIRO as a postdoctoral fellow when she had the chance to apply systems biology methods to a range of datasets and species to explore complex phenotypes. Her main study was around the use of pooled genotypes as a cost-effective way to generate commercial reference populations to enable genomic selection. Currently, she is studying the relationship between genetic profile, immune competence, and the animal’s microbiome to generate innovative solutions to improve health and productivity of Angus cattle. She has also been involved in the research behind the Angus HeiferSELECT genomic tool and the selection of pink eye resilient cattle.

Synopses

Pink eye is a common disease that affects Angus cattle herds. Can genetic selection be used to produce Angus cattle that are more resilient to pink eye? How can Angus members be involved in the related R&D?

Andrew McDonald, NH Foods Australia – Director. ‘How Australian beef producers help deliver the joy of eating’

Dean Eastwood, CC Seymour South Killanoola – ‘How a modern farming enterprise operates’

Dean Eastwood has been the Manager of South Killanoola for nine years. Owned by the Seymour family, South Killanoola is a 3,200ha property located at Bool Lagoon in the lower southeast of South Australia. South Killanoola has been in the Seymour family for over 170 years with the Seymour’s being one of the oldest farming families in the region. The property consists of three main enterprises, a self-replacing composite flock producing prime lamb, Angus and Hereford cattle, dryland and irrigated share farm cropping business and a Hampshire Downs stud. From the people they involve in the operation, to the breeding objectives they set, land management practices and family succession, South Killanoola provides a practical example of a large scale operation putting management practices in to place to ensure they have a viable future. Previously, Dean has worked in both large and small-scale farming in Victoria and Tasmania, including cattle, sheep & dairying. Dean holds an Advanced Diploma in Applied Science in Farm Management from Melbourne University and is Chair of the McKillop Farm Management Groups Ops Committee. He is passionate about the agricultural sector and is keen to continue displaying and planning how to progress the business and the industry positively.

Jake Phillips, Angus Australia – ‘The evolution of Angus’

Jake Phillips is the Extension manager at Angus Australia, based in Naracoorte SA. Jake has  wealth of industry experience and knowledge and has worked across Australia in a variety of positions in the beef supply chain. Jakes role is considered front line with Angus members and breeders of Angus cattle to assist them in understanding the variety of breeding and genetics selection tools and information available to them. This also includes overseeing the expansive Angus Youth scholarships, awards and bursaries offered to industry.

Prior to joining Angus Australia , Jake worked for one of Australia’s largest processing companies in a variety of roles including livestock procurement, supply chain and branded beef programs, quality assurance and processing plant management. Jake also previously held positions with MLA and was heavily involved in the Meat Standards Australia program from on farm production to retail and food service and everywhere in-between.

Jake also serves on the committee of the largest beef carcase competition in world , overseeing the grading and competition and also serves on the South Australian Junior Heifer Expo committee.

Jake enjoys judging cattle and has been fortunate to judge cattle across Australia at several royal shows including the largest led steer show in Australia.

In his spare time Jake and his wife run Phillips Cattle Company, a registered cattle business selling Angus and Murray Grey bulls to local commercial producers looking for modern day genetics.

COST:  $99 gst incl. Includes Day 2 plenary sessions and catering only (Breakfast, Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea) NOTE: Day 1 is included with full with Full Conference Registration $280 gst incl.

To BOOK YOUR TICKET for the Day 2 or Full Conference CLICK HERE.