THE spirit of legendary cattleman Graeme Acton is living on with the first group of rising beef industry professionals completing the Graeme Acton Beef Connections Mentoring Program.
The 14-month program – supported by the Acton family as a reflection of Graeme’s passion for building capability in the industry’s young people, and funded by Beef Australia and Westpac Bank – saw nine young people selected from 47 applicants to be partnered with mentors.
A graduation ceremony held in Brisbane in March heard of the profound outcomes the program has delivered as the nine young people have developed skills and knowledge to further their careers and become effective future beef industry leaders.
In addition to making participants more effective in their current roles and developing their personal and professional attributes, the program delivered tangible outcomes including:
• Establishing Women in Lot Feeding (WOLF), launched to the industry at Jimbour House.
• Rebranding a breeding business that had been subject to a BJD quarantine.
• Developing beef production specifications to suit identified markets.
Program facilitator Barb Bishop said she was overwhelmed by the amazing changes demonstrated over the course of the program.
“The nine young people have shown how successful structured mentoring can be, and the mentors have been extraordinary in their dedication and the time and expertise they have provided,” Ms Bishop said.
Activities throughout the 14-month Program included a four-day workshop, monthly webinars to share information and ask advice, attending Beef Week in Rockhampton, and developing a real-life project to apply the skills acquired.
One of the participants in the program, OBE Organic sales and production executive Sarah Rutledge, spoke of the very practical benefits she gained by having a dedicated and experienced mentor.
“I’m passionate about working with producers to allow them to receive the best possible returns for the cattle while remaining sustainable over a long period of time,” Ms Rutledge said.
“This program has helped me achieve those things by teaching me to set better goals and consider more possibilities before implementing action plans.”
Mentor and MLA director Lucinda Corrigan praised the program because of its structure and its very hands-on facilitation.
The program has the potential to be an important contributor to the imperative of building industry leaders and capability, as identified in the Cattle Council of Australia’s Beef Industry Strategic Plan 2020.
This participants are: Rachel Hollihan NT and Lucinda Corrigan NSW; Kenrick Cross NSW and Anna Speer NSW; Don Hook WA and Craig Forsyth WA; Ashley Kirk Qld and Ken Rich Qld; Amanda Moohen Qld and Kaye Wilson Qld; Adam Coffey NT and Phillip Hughes Qld; Sarah Rutledge Qld and Charlie Wilson Qld; Jo Robertson Qld and Elspeth Radford SA; Blythe Calnan WA and Theresa Craig Qld.
Details of the next intake of young beef industry professionals will be announced later this year.
