We have recently purchased a new breeding block in a different part of the state.
While we look forward to the experiences associated with this new environment, the opportunity to fast track our knowledge is appealing.
Jim Rohn famously said, "you are the average of the five people you spend most time with".
Researchers now believe this number is too low and recommend we all examine our network and its influence on our lives and livelihood.
For this reason we look forward to participating in one of the pilot groups being rolled out as part of the Northern Breeding Business (NB2) project.
It's great to see MLA money being directed back to grassroots projects that have a bottom-up approach that focus on facilitating producer-led content.
The overarching goal is to improve producer profitability and sustainability with a focus on improving reproductive efficiencies in the northern beef herd.
Shared learnings gained from on-farm demonstrations of practice change, new technology adoption and better business practices from other producers should be worth our investment of time and money.
Of course, it will depend on the commitment of others to share their learnings and foster a collaborative environment.
We are encouraged by the initial interactions in the Facebook group and look forward to our first face-to-face gathering.
Working within a group environment generally fosters commitment and camaraderie if there are shared values and goals between group members.
Addressing calf loss, profitability and increased adoption of R&D at the farm level are key objectives of NB2, which is of particular interest in regard to our new property.
MLA is transitioning away from funding independent smaller projects and backing bigger, broader programs that bring together a cross-section of existing projects in response to key Industry priorities.
As a family farming enterprise we are keen to refine our processes to ensure we are able to produce more kilos of beef, operate sustainably and create value for all contributors to our business.
We then look forward to being able to share these learnings for the benefit of others.
- Brigid Price, Rural Resources