Looking beyond cattle may prove difficult for producers, but a Charters Towers grazier is highlighting the opportunities for those in north Queensland.
Emma Robinson, Caerphilly Station, will address new ideas in the supply chain, when she hosts a Steak Your Place forum on May 25.
Discussing consumer trends, new innovations, technologies and opportunities, attendees will be required to think beyond cattle for opportunities that could benefit them.
Owning a medium sized, family business, Ms Robinson said family farms in the middle space had a challenge around being relevant in a global market place.
“We can produce good cattle but there are opportunities to look beyond that and because of our size we are going to be in a much better space if we can connect with others to do that more effectively,” she said.
“I think we have a lot more opportunities now that we didn’t have 10 to 15 years ago and there are are big businesses and small businesses that are vertical integration and I think it is us in the middle that need to be looking for opportunities. We are not big enough to go at it alone but there is the room to collaborate.
“We get a lot of information about production, breeding better cattle and looking after our production, but we need a parallel conversation about where is our animals going and what opportunities we have to leverage beyond simply selling an animal.”
Ms Robinson said there was a whole range of information that was beyond production.
“We will have conversations with industry specialists around the different opportunities with beef and how producers can implement them.
“Roger Kaus from Trade and Investment QLD, will talk about investment opportunities and food partnership.
“Samantha Jamieson from MLA will discuss key consumer trends and how MLA helps businesses with co-marketing.
“Richard Katter will talk about digital supply chains and how technology is enabling producers to link more directly with consumers. Plus more.”
If you’re interested in attending the Steak Your Place Forum visit http://tinyurl.com/STEAK-YOUR-PLACE to register.