Professional Development with GenAngus
Alongside his father, Joe Dewar, from the Guilderton area in Western Australia, has built their business from 40 breeders to how it stands currently as an Angus seedstock and commercial Angus and Angus influenced operation running 400 stud and 500 commercial females, as well as a Merino sheep operation.
2024 saw Joe take time to invest into his personal and professional development through his involvement in the GenAngus Future Leaders Program, which took place in New Zealand in May.
When applying for the program, it was this opportunity for growth that pulled Joe to want to take part.
“I know that getting off farm and learning from others is very important and I was told that I would learn a lot if I attended, but I was blown away at how much was crammed into those four days,” he said.
“It was far and away the best program I’ve been to, and it was just a real reset.
“GenAngus was an incredible benefit to me. I learned so much not just from the sessions but also from the other attendees who are all kicking goals in their own right.
“It has set me up with a great network of people to bounce ideas off, who also ask challenging questions and keep me honest. When I went, we were just at the tail end of a fairly tough season that exposed many of the areas of weakness in our business,” he said.
“So, although it was a lot to digest at the time with both the challenging year and then an information overload, what I learned at GenAngus has really solidified the direction we are going and the actions we need to take.”
When looking at his take homes and key learnings from the experience, Joe said, “I don’t have any plans for any major changes, as it’s more about making those incremental gains to improve profitability and resilience.
“We have built a good base, and now it’s time to just do everything a bit better each year.”
He continued, “The biggest message for me was around benchmarking and really trying to understand the financial implications of each decision that I make.
“There are definite gains to be made around focusing on what is actually profitable in our business. We do have lots of records and data, but it is underutilised, so I need to remember to find time regularly to go through things and see where we are at.
“I also got a fair bit out of the sessions on marketing and social media and will seek to improve our messaging and outreach especially as it pertains to our bull sale.”
He concluded, “The other thing I found really helpful was the personality session and learning to just be mindful of my tendencies, the personality of each person in the business and how to make it so everyone can perform at their best.”
When asked why he thought other people could benefit from program, Joe encouraged those interested to apply for the next GenAngus program.
“I think it’s an unparalleled opportunity to have personal access to such high calibre speakers. Even the sessions on areas that you think you have covered had some good new insights.”
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: Sean Wright, Joe Dewar, Cody Best and Elliot Connors at the 2024 GenAngus Future Leaders Program
