Bringing it back to basics with GenAngus
Murk Schoen joins his parents and wife Kate in running Schoen Pastoral, across 3000 hectares in the Federation Shire of the Murray Region of New South Wales with a mixed farming enterprise of Angus cattle, crossbred sheep and cropping.
In 2024, Murk joined 12 other young members of the beef industry as part of the GenAngus Future Leaders Program.
“I applied for the GenAngus program as we are at a pivotal point in our business in regard to succession and inter-generational change,” he said.
“We have grown our stud to a point of being two years away from having our first sale, so I felt the timing was right to get some support in understanding how we can do the small things better, from managing staff and our mindset, to putting our best foot forward in regards to marketing and business structure.”
When reflecting on the experience and his take homes from his time in the program, Murk highlighted, “The key take home for me was how beneficial and important bringing things back to basics is and not over complicating things.
“Creating your own tools to keep your mind fresh is very important for yourself as well as the team around you. Taking the time to understand personalities within the people you interact with will be one of the most important things you will ever learn.”
He continued, “The real take home for me was knowing when you have left a legacy in any area of business or life and then also knowing when to pass the baton for someone to add to that legacy, and the importance of getting this right.
“There also was some great info around identifying burnout and tips to avoid it, and tools and tips around marketing to achieve the best outcome in a cluttered marketplace. I will also be implementing some back-to-basics simple strategies around breeding analysis.”
When asked why he would encourage others beef industry leaders to apply for the GenAngus Future Leaders Program in the future, Murk said, “GenAngus has given me some really useful tips, tools and contacts to assist me achieve my chosen goals into the future.
“I think the understanding and the closeness of our cohort will be invaluable going forward into the future. We have been able to build a plan for the group going forward to support one another and assist each other to create change.
“I think it’s the opportunity to meet a small cohort of young leaders dealing with some of the same challenges and coming together to assist one another to create change. Adding to this a high level of industry leaders and presenters makes it a very rare opportunity and I can see why it has so many people applying.”
Get excited for the 2025 GenAngusFuture Leaders Program
As announced in May at Beef Australia, Angus Australia will once again be partnering with specialist agricultural insurer Achmea Farm Insurance to deliver the seventh GenAngus Future Leaders Program in 2025.
The 2025 program will be taking place in Launceston, Tasmania from the 26th to the 30th of May, with applications for this flagship event due to open in the lead up to Christmas.
By Cheyne Twist, Senior Marketing & Communications Officer
Feature Image: Jim Burrows, Emma Hussey, Murk Schoen and Milly Nolan at the 2024 GenAngus Future Leaders Program
