Over recent months, AgForce conducted market research into perceptions of farmers which found consumers generally have a positive view of us.
They like and trust farmers and believe we are decent hard-working people who care for our land.
However, while everyday Queenslanders want to believe farmers are doing the right thing, they also want this to be backed up by evidence.
One of the best ways we as an industry can do this is by embracing programs like Grazing and Grains BMP (Best Management Practices).
To date, more than 2000 Queensland cattle producers managing more than 28 million hectares of land have voluntarily adopted Grazing BMP to benchmark their business against the best industry standards using the best available science.
Having gone through the accreditation process myself, I can attest to the fact it is a great way to put every aspect of your business under the microscope to see how you can improve your productivity, profitability and sustainability.
Put simply, it’s a health check for your business, with Grazing BMP covering the areas of grazing land management, soil health, animal health and welfare, animal production, and people and business.
For those consumers who are becoming more interested in where their food comes from, Grazing and Grains BMP is a way we can show them we are operating at the best possible standards.
It’s also a way to prove to consumers and governments that we are doing the right thing by the environment.
I urge readers to check out a fantastic video released this week featuring Philip and Lachlan Hughes talking about why they got involved with Grazing BMP.
It is so good to see beef industry leaders like the Hughes family getting behind Grazing BMP because they see the benefits not only for their own business, but for the wider industry as a whole.
At the end of the day, like all businesses, we are supplying a product to our customers and we have to ensure our customers trust us, understand us and want to keep buying our product. Programs like Grazing and Grains BMP can help us do just that.