Meet the Beef2024 Pitch In The Paddock finalists

This event, slated to take place on Wednesday, 8th May 2024 promises to showcase groundbreaking innovations and ideas in the beef industry, providing a platform for forward-thinking entrepreneurs and industry leaders.

In 2021, North Queensland company, Black Box Co, a service that analyses data with the aim of helping producers improve their on-farm productivity, won the prestigious Beef Australia 2021 Pitch in the Paddock competition.

Beef Australia CEO Simon Irwin said the Pitch In The Paddock competition serves as a platform for innovation, fostering the brightest ideas and solutions across the beef supply chain.

"Beef Australia exists for the advancement of the Australian beef community and the Pitch In The Paddock Competition plays a large role in supporting this purpose and driving progress across the industry", Mr Irwin said.

"Applications opened in November 2023, calling on start-ups, visionary AgTech developers, inventive minds, and innovators to put forward their idea for the opportunity to go head-to-head at Beef2024 and be awarded with a $10,000 cash prize.

"We've had an overwhelming response, making the 2024 competition the most competitive yet."

The eight finalists include: Luke Chaplain: SkyKelpie, Rob Kelly: Agora Livestock, Phillip Zada: Stoktake, Marie Ellul: ART Lab Solutions, Beau Skerrett: StockProtecta, Dr Bronwyn Darlington: Agscent, Joanne Barber: Magic Meat Powder, Andrew Leech: Bovotica

The finalists will go head to head at the Pitch In The Paddock event in Rockhampton on Wednesday, May 8.

Earlier this month, Beef Australia formerly announced the distinguished panel of judges who will preside over the highly anticipated competition at Beef2024.

The esteemed panel of judges comprises a diverse group of experts, each bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the evaluation process and highly competitive competition.

The judges for the Pitch In the Paddock Event at Beef2024 are: Julia Spicer OAM, Queensland Chief Entrepreneur, Robert Bell, Co-founder and Chief Technical Officer, ProAgni, Harriet Mellish, General Manager of Global Innovation Networks, AgriFutures Australia, Duncan Ferguson, Head of Venture Growth and Investment, Farmers2Founders, and Mark Allison, Non-Executive Director, Elders Limited.

In the mean time, get to know each finalist and their exciting pitches that could one day revolutionise the agriculture industry.

Phillip Zada's elevator pitch: We aim to provide a low-cost, integrated, high-accuracy assurance, traceability, and verification platform, enabling the entire supply chain with a new standard for a connected livestock ecosystem.

Dr. Phillip Zada, a distinguished technologist, founded Stoktake, an innovative platform in the agricultural sector known for its unique application of facial recognition technology for livestock. This cutting-edge approach positions Stoktake at the forefront of agricultural technology, offering unprecedented accuracy in livestock management. The platform's AI-driven facial recognition system represents a significant leap forward in enhancing traceability and reducing risks for farmers and ranchers.

Under Dr. Zada's leadership, Stoktake has become synonymous with practical, efficient, and transformative agricultural solutions. His vision for Stoktake extends beyond traditional livestock management, incorporating user-friendly technology to make advanced solutions accessible to a broad agricultural audience. His expertise ensures that Stoktake remains a vital tool in modern agriculture, marrying technological innovation with everyday farming needs.

Dr. Zada's commitment to innovation is evident in Stoktake's success. His work exemplifies a unique blend of technological acumen and a deep understanding of agricultural challenges, driving forward a new era in livestock management.

Luke Chaplain's elevator pitch: SkyKelpie is the world leader in drone mustering and aerial stockmanship. We're building a range of products that will help livestock handlers unlock the numerous benefits of this solution.

Fourth-generation grazier from north-west Queensland, Luke Chaplain is a leader in the agtech field thanks to his expertise in drone mustering.

SkyKelpie aims to be the first company in the world to enable widespread adoption of livestock mustering with drones, by developing a range of products and services that will support graziers.

Luke is building a range of products that will help livestock handlers unlock the numerous benefits of this solution.

Rob Kelly's elevator pitch: Agora Livestock is a digital stockbook for cattle buyers that captures critical purchase in a dashboard, giving their entire organisation a realtime source of truth for livestock purchases and sales.

Rob grew up on his family's livestock property in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. After finishing school he completed an Ag Science degree and then spent over a decade in grain trading and risk and supply chain management.

He was heavily involved in the development of price discovery and booking management platforms for the grain trading company he worked for and could see the opportunities of providing the same level of efficiency to livestock operations.

This experience and his passion for the Australian livestock industry all combined with the founding of Agora Livestock.

Marie Ellul's elevator pitch: We have developed a non-invasive device that measures a fetal heart rate in 10secs at 30 days post fertilisation and it's easy to use. Our technology shrinks the time gap between economic decisions.

Marie Ellul is the CEO and a Director of ART Lab Solutions, a products and service-based business providing the livestock industry with reproductive technologies to advance livestock quality.

Marie has over ten years of experience in hands-on embryology and her educational foundation in Health Sciences, combined with an MBA, has equipped her with a diverse skillset involving significant research and commercial experience.

Outside of her role in ART Lab Solutions, Marie serves as Chairperson to two non-for-profit organisations; one of which involves advising on relevant disease risks associated with reproductive technologies in livestock.

Marie's passion for the Agtech industry empowers her to drive new technologies forward for sustainable and ecological benefit.

Beau Skerrett's elevator pitch: StockProtecta is a versatile portable plastic panel developed to provide farmers with a simple tool to improve yard flow, minimize outside distractions and increase stock & operator safety

Growing up on a mixed cropping, cattle, and sheep farm in Werris Creek, NSW, Beau was familiar with the yards from an early age.

He spent extensive hours accompanying his father, assisting with farm tasks, and envisioning the time when he could manage my own farm. However, that aspiration had to be put on hold when, as a young teenager, when his family moved to Brisbane for his education.

Following graduation, Beau pursued another passion of mine worldwide - breaking in, training, and competing with polo ponies for some of the world's top polo players.

After accumulating a wealth of experience and enduring a few broken bones, he returned to Australia.

Beau secured a position managing a small herd of full-blood Wagyu on a boutique property.

After a few years, accompanied by his wife, he acquired a property just outside Warwick, QLD, to establish his own boutique horse and cattle operation.

Following an influx of record rainfall shortly after our relocation, Beau found it necessary to relocate the cattle yards to a drier section of the property. This process involved disassembling the poly belt, rolling it up, relocating it, and then reassembling the belt-an arduous task nobody particularly desires.

As their herd expanded, Beau took over leased land with antiquated wooden cattle yards. Challenges with these yards spurred his current quest to develop a solution: a lightweight, easily deployable, and universally accessible portable visual barrier that safeguards livestock from injuries.

Dr Bronwyn Darlington's elevator pitch: Agscent pioneers breath-based livestock diagnostics- set to revolutionize methane measurement, pregnancy testing, and disease diagnostics with an affordable, cutting-edge nanotechnology platform.

When it comes to innovation in agriculture, Dr Bronwyn Darlington's experience is born from living and working on the family's 5,000-acre cattle and sheep property.

Driven by the need for advanced cattle management techniques and a deep knowledge of the way technology in other sectors has disrupted and transformed them, Bronwyn founded Agscent.

She sought to adapt breath diagnostics technology, designed for humans and apply this to pregnancy detection and disease identification/management in order to transform animal health and management. This concept gained momentum with the support of NASA and their ENose sensors.

Bronwyn brings more than 30 years industry experience in a variety of sectors, including senior roles in mining, engineering, agriculture, local government, finance, and textile and apparel design and manufacturing, to bear in Agscent.

She has a Ph.D. in Economics focused on consumer psychology and behavioural economics. It is her work teaching the Sydney University Global Executive MBA subject, 'Finding Opportunity in Disruption' which linked technology developments in space, medicine, and AI to the opportunity available for livestock and precision agriculture.

She is a serial entrepreneur and inventor.

Andrew Leech's elevator pitch: Synbiotic technology reduces methane emissions in cattle by up to 80 per cent while simultaneously delivering a 10pc production efficiency.

Dr Leech has over twenty years' experience developing technology in the biotech industry, commercialising animal health, aquaculture, agriculture, and human therapeutic products.

As chief executive officer of Bovotica, Dr Leech's role is to coordinate the efforts of a worldclass research and development team to develop precision microbiome modulators to reduce enteric methane while simultaneously delivering a production efficiency.

Dr Leech completed his postdoctoral studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, and he has a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Queensland. He completed his legal studies through the University of Technology Sydney, and he is registered as a patent and trademark attorney.

Dr Leech currently sits on the Board of several biotechnology companies.

As a keen American barbecuer and cheesemaker, safeguarding the beef and dairy industries in the face of climate change is not just his job, it's his passion.

Joanne Barber's elevator pitch: Years of CSIRO-backed research has led to a process which converts low-value meat into a nutrient-dense and allergen-free ingredient which can be added to any food product or sold as a supplement.

Joanne, a seasoned executive, having the privilege to work across agriculture, aquaculture, and tourism, prioritises aggregating the smartest people in the room to create the most impact for the world. Former COO at FutureFeed (IP owned by CSIRO, MLA, JCU), she led a pivotal collaborative effort harnessing scientific advances for climate solutions. Her expertise spans complex regulations, harmonizing carbon markets, and value chain management for successful product launches.

In the livestock sector, Joanne began as an auditor almost two decades ago. She later transitioned into Australian Organic's and led the commercial, marketing and communications division. At FutureFeed, she worked on growing commercial markets where the demand for reducing cattle methane emissions by feeding seaweed (Asparagopsis), potentially cutting emissions by over 80%. Throughout her career, Joanne built a robust network, collaborating with government and industry partners.

Proficient in team building and driving market demand, Joanne has spearheaded startups in sustainable biotechnology and natural ingredients. Her endeavours highlight her capacity to drive meaningful change, with a focus on commercial, environmental, and social impact. Joanne's work bridges commercial innovation and climate solutions.