Beef 2015 Report

Beef 2015 briefs: PCAS delivers $4 million in premiums

Beef Central, 04/05/2015

Growing consumer demand for grassfed beef is resulting in significant premiums for beef producers supplying cattle under the certified Pasturefed Cattle Assurance System.

PCAS CERTIFIED_PASTUREFED - Copy (2)Cattle Council of Australia announced that since the launch of PCAS in August 2013, Teys Australia, which uses the program to underpin its grassfed beef brands, has paid an average premium of $50.83/head on all PCAS certified cattle.

CCA made the announcement in advance of a function marking the progress of certified grassfed beef to be held in Rockhampton on Wednesday evening.

This incentive had equated to more than $4 million in premiums paid so far to producers supplying Teys’ PCAS beef programs in both northern and southern Australia, CCA said.

“It’s a great story, but it won’t stop there,” CCA marketing committee councillor Ian McCamley said. “Teys’ Grasslands product is just one brand supported by PCAS,” he said.

“So far the premiums have largely been driven by domestic demand, but the opportunity that exists in the US market represents further great potential for Australian grassfed product,” Mr McCamley said.

CCA said PCAS would be well positioned to exploit this potential, as it planned to seek USDA Process Verification approval for the program.

“PCAS ensures full integrity of the grassfed products delivered to consumers and it is outstanding that Teys has taken the lead in the Australian beef industry to identify the need for rigour within grassfed raising claims,” CCA’s PCAS Committee chair Marc Greening said.

“This will benefit us as grassfed beef producers. In order for grassfed products to grow and prosper into the future, there must be a verifiable standards behind all grassfed raising claims.”

  • CCA & AgForce will celebrate grassfed branded beef products on Wednesday night at the Greener Pastures function at Beef 2015, where Australia’s best grassfed steak will be announced.

 

Meet the MLA board at Beef 2015

Producers are invited to meet with the Meat & Livestock Australia board of Directors in Rockhampton while they are town for Beef Australia.

All nine board members, including MLA managing director Richard Norton, are attending Beef Australia and producers are invited to join them for morning tea on Friday, 8 May in the MLA Innovation Marquee.

“We are looking forward to meeting as many producers as possible and discussing first-hand their marketing and research and development (R&D) priorities,” Mr Norton said.

“Whether it’s about Meat Standards Australia, farm-gate returns, genetics or animal health and nutrition, we want to engage with producers more effectively at a regional level to identify future research priorities,” he said.

“We’re putting levy payers at the centre of everything we do, and hearing their feedback, even in a social setting over a cup of tea, is critical so that we can ensure MLA is delivering long term value back to the farm gate.”

MLA will host a half-day producer forum on Wednesday as part of the Beef Australia seminar program.

With a theme of ‘Delivering Value and Driving Change – Your Levies at Work’, the event on Wednesday 6 May will focus on the latest MLA R&D projects and how global marketing activities are growing demand for Australian beef.

What: Meet the MLA Board over morning tea

When: Friday, 8 May 2015 at 10am

Where: MLA Innovation Marquee.

  

Herd Quitter seminar series for NSW

New South Wales producers who were unable to visit Rockhampton for Beef 2015 will have the opportunity to hear one of the event’s leading overseas speakers in their own back yard next week.

Kit Pharo

Kit Pharo

A series of three seminars will be held in Tamworth, Yeovil and Albury featuring successful and innovative US rancher and businessman, Kit Pharo, who speaks tomorrow at Beef 2015 in Rockhampton. He will be joined by RCS principal, Dr Terry McCosker, and marketing and stock handling expert Grahame Rees from KLR.

Organisers say the one-day seminar is guaranteed to challenge the status quo around business management, production vs. profit, and livestock marketing. The day will also include an update of the latest soil carbon opportunities for producers, and will finish with an interactive panel discussion.

Mr Pharo will outline his ‘Back to the Future’ approach to ranching, suggesting that while technology can be good – most producers have used technology to replace common-sense thinking. Profitable and sustainable grazing management is not complicated, he says.

In the 1980s, Kit started out by leasing grassland and buying cows. In the beginning, he strived to build a herd that would wean bigger calves, but quickly learned that increasing weaning weights did not increase profit. He then changed his management approach to be profit-driven instead of production-driven, and carried-out management practices to reduce and eliminate expenses. At the same time Kit implemented ways to increase beef production per acre – compared to beef production per calf. Over the last 25 years, Kit has grown his ranch into a very profitable family corporation.

Next week’s seminars running from 9:30am to 3pm each day will be held in:

Tamworth – Monday 11 May

Yeoval – Wednesday 13 May

Albury – Friday 15 May.

Tickets are $90 including catering and a donation to the local Landcare group.. Click here to purchase tickets online.

 

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