Toreen’s time at NH Foods
The 2024 NH Foods and Angus Foundation cadet Toreen Denyer completed her time at the company during 2024, spending four weeks immersing herself in the various facets of the NH Foods business.
Toreen has provided a report covering her time at NH Foods, as well as taking part in the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Course, included as part of her cadetship experience. Read it here:
Marcus Oldham Overview:
A part of my cadetship allowed me to attend a Rural Leadership course, at the prestigious Marcus Oldham College in Geelong, Victoria. By the end of the week, we all had gained 37 new friends in the agricultural sector from all over Australia, which deepened my connections within the industry. The course was based on leadership and personal development, although being in the classroom for majority of the lessons, the passion for agriculture was evident in my peers. The program focused on personal values, strategies to overcome any challenges, and also allowed us to decide how we want to conduct ourselves in the workplace and at home. My week at Marcus Oldham opened my eyes to the many opportunities in agriculture and allowed me to reflect on my own personal qualities which influences the way others perceive me as a leader. I would highly recommend to anyone to attend this course, it equipped me with a refreshed mindset and greater perspective on leadership. Thank you to Nat Jeffrey, David Cornish and James Lang, as well as the other staff who created such an empowering week of transformation and growth.
Wingham Beef Exports:
My first week of work placement started at Wingham Beef Exports, where I gained a very detailed understanding of how a processing facility operates. I was given site tours by each department of the business, explaining what their job entails and how their input of skill beneficially impacts the end product. The Quality Assurance (QA) team highlighted the importance of food safety and traceability, by abiding to Government Regulations and Guidelines, they ensure that the boxed protein source is safe for human consumption when it leaves the site. I spent time with the livestock admin team, entering NLIS information and vendor declarations into the database, scheduling cattle with clients and organising the production sheet for the day. I improved my primal and retail cut identification skills, as well as learned the market value of most products, including offal. I expanded my knowledge about MSA and eating quality, by spending time in the chillers watching the graders score the carcasses. I had the opportunity to visit their property “Glen Yarra” to understand the effluent removal process to increase crop production. I walked through the storage facilities both chilled and frozen, and noted the utilisation of modern technology, such as the robotic pallet stacker and plate freezer. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Wingham Beef Exports and would like to thank Chris Black and the team for showing me their expertise within the red meat industry.
Oakey Beef Exports:
My next stop was at Oakey Beef Exports on the Darling Downs. This processing plant is a larger facility, averaging 900 head per day. I spent time with the onsite Government Veterinarian, who described his role in ensuring animal welfare guidelines are abided and all carcases are fit for human consumption. I learned about the different processes involved when sourcing cattle; saleyards, feedlot or direct from the paddock and determining which mob would best suit the allocated brand the cattle are going into. The variation of markets is evident with the “Wild Rivers” (350+days grain fed wagyu) or the “Manning Valley Naturally” (HGP free and antibiotic free grassfed), being a premium product sought after for fine dining, vs the Asian countries sourcing majority of the offal and lower value products. No part of the beast is wasted, all by-products have their own market and demand, majority of them being rendered and turned into a high nutrient fertiliser. Oakey Beef Exports have built a covered high-right anerobic lagoon and a large inflatable sphere which captures the biogas produced in the effluent from the abattoir, which is recycled back through the plant to fuel the boilers etc. After spending more time with the QA’s I got a better understanding on what a “zero tolerance” (if faeces, urine, milk or ingesta on the body after a certain stage along the chain) or “condemned” (abscess or liver fluke etc) product was and they highlighted the importance of traceability for this very reason. The boning room is very spacious and well designed, with the software being able to track which boner and slicers cut a particular product. I would like to thank Brett Williams and the team for supporting me on my cadetship journey and allowing me to learn all aspects involved in operating a processing plant.
Whyalla Feedlot:
Whyalla Feedlot was my third stop, based at Texas on the NSW and QLD border. My first day was spent with the feed mill team, learning about rations, palatability and commodities. We did laps of the pens doing feed allocations, determining how much feed the pen consumes vs the quantity of what the pen received. I also got a feed mill tour and watched the technician complete a grain moisture sample. I spent the afternoon in the feed truck, delivery feed into the pens bunker and learning about the ration docket which dictates which pen the truck is to feed out to. I got a feedlot tour, looking at the pens, backgrounding paddocks, cattle, manure sifting machine, irrigated crops and new infrastructure improvements (expanded head capacity to 75,000). I was put with the induction team, where we weighed cattle as a group once they were unloaded from the truck. We processed 500 head for the day, getting them through the yards and race efficiently due to the air-operated force-yard and crush. Depending on which market the animal is destined for, determines the induction process. (For example, vaccinations for respiratory and general diseases (neck and nasal injection site), internal and external parasite control (pour on and oral for fluke), hormones and ear notch (2 pills/ first is immediately effective for 70 days, other hormone is coded and doesn’t take effect until 70 days/ saves bringing them in twice), coloured ear tags with barcode and market destination). I also went with the vet crew, who would go around to the hospital yards and treat the sick animals (prescribed drugs and pain relief) penned by the horse riders. I was with the dispatch team, drafting mixed mobs according to weight and health status, deciding which animals are ready to be slaughtered. My final day was spent with the breeding team, where we brought in stud wagyu breeders and heifers to insert CIDR’s for an AI program. I looked at the conformation of the breeding stock and learned about the fundamental traits they are seeking to bring into their calves for optimal production in their operation, e.g. marbling, growth etc. I enjoyed my week at Whyalla Feedlot gaining hands-on experience and making lots of connections within the agricultural sector. Thank you to Tony Fitzgerald and staff for welcoming me to the feedlot and encouraging me to pursue a career in the beef industry.
Head Office North Sydney:
I wrapped up my cadetship spending a week in North Sydney at the head office. My time with the export staff highlighted the impact world events has on product demand and trade routes. NH Foods supplies approximately 45 countries with 150000 tonnes of beef per year. I learned what product each country demands the most and the different methods the cultures use to cook the beef. I gained a deeper understanding of the logistics involved in operating the business, for example, all the product from the Mackay Plant is freighted to Brisbane via train for export. Working alongside such knowledgeable and passionate people in the red meat industry, I have been introduced to a large network of industry people and events to support and enhance my career in agriculture. I have a greater appreciation for the different types of markets and understanding of what different breeds and number of days on feed these animals are destined for. I have a better idea on the pricing range of primal and retail cuts, as well as learned about the niche market of certain offal products, such as gall stones or foetal blood. The MSA grading system has enhanced my perspective on eating quality, and highlighted the factors which can affect the score, e.g. marbling, fat colour etc. I spent time with the production team, where we did forecasts and spoke about how they ensure there is a consistent supply of cattle getting inducted into the feedlot, and therefore how many tonnes of beef will be ready for export, after x amount of days on feed. I enjoyed learning about the influence that the economy, politics and weather has on the overall profitability of vertically integrated business. I would like to thank Andrew McDonald and the team for allowing me to sit in and listen to meetings, learn about their clients needs and understand the daily tasks of each team member, to meet the company’s goals.
