Phil Holmes

Equipping cattle and sheep producers to make proactive and informed business decisions that can increase their profitability will be the focus of a free webinar in early June to launch the Pastoral Profit program.

Jointly developed by Meat & Livestock Australia and Australian Wool Innovation, the Pastoral Profit program provides livestock producers in the pastoral zone with access to leading industry information, resources and technical experts to build upon their business skills.

The program will be delivered through regionally-customised professional development activities, both face-to-face and online, beginning with the launch webinar on 9 June featuring highly regarded agricultural consultant and livestock profitability specialist Dr Phil Holmes.

MLA general manager, livestock productivity Dr Jane Weatherley said the webinar, and future program initiatives, were an opportunity for producers to develop core skills that help in facilitating proactive and informed business management.

“There is no doubt the pastoral sector has experienced enormous challenges in terms of profitability over recent years as a result of difficult terms of trade, increased input costs and severe climatic conditions including drought,” Dr Weatherley said.

“This webinar is an opportunity for producers in the pastoral zone to access core business information that could help shape the way they do business into the future.”

AWI general manager, research Dr Paul Swan said “the new Pastoral Profit program is an evolution from the AWI BestPrac network. It is great to have MLA with us as this program covers a very large and important area of Australia for sheepmeat and wool production.”

The one-hour webinar, which will run on Tuesday, 9 June from 12:30pm, seeks to provide answers to questions including:

• How financially literate are you?
• What are the elements of a financially sustainable rangeland business?
• How do you allocate capital to progress?
• What are the profit drivers of beef, sheep and wool production?

Dr Phil Holmes will be accompanied by pastoral producer Andrew Miller who will share how enhancing his business skills helped him improve profitability and productivity in the midst of extreme drought.

To register go to www.pastoralprofit.com.au

To register for more information on the Pastoral Profit program and to find out about activities in your area contact National Coordinator Pene Keynes T: 08 8841 4500 or E:pastoralprofit@ruraldirections.com

Source: MLA/AWI.