THE cattle and sheep industries’ Target 100 program has had a highly successful first year, directly touched by around 200,000 urban people.

Launched 12 months ago to demonstrate the industries' commitment to continued improvements in sustainability, Target 100 is well on its way to building strong links with city audiences keen to know how their beef and lamb is produced.

The program has quickly become the cattle and sheep industries’ vehicle to talk to the community about production and sustainability, Meat & Livestock Australia says in a press statement issued this week.

Program manager Pip McConachie said in its first year, Target 100 had engaged with a section of the community interested in how their food is produced.

 "More than 20,000 people have attended either Target 100 events or sponsored events in cities,” she said.

“Our Target 100 schools program has reached 130,000 school-children and 50,000 people are following us on social media or have visited the Target 100 website. In addition, 2.5 million people are exposed to Target 100 advertising each month in capital cities,” Ms McConachie said.

Producer views from across Australia                             

Brett Hall, whose property is near Oatlands in Tasmania, is one of more than 130 livestock producers involved in Target 100.  He says promoting what individual farmers are doing is essential.

“We joined Target 100 to highlight to the community that we're not only producing some of the best beef and lamb in the world but we are doing it in a way that is sustainable. Some families have been livestock farming for six generations in this State, which demonstrates not only how resilient the people are, but the sustainability of their operations in terms of how they care for their animals and the land over a long time,” Mr Hall said.

 "Target 100 has also allowed us to learn from the research the industry is doing and share our practices with other farmers across Australia."

Eestern Australian cattle prodcuers Haydn and Jane Sale, from the East Kimberley region, are also involved in the program.  Mrs Sale said promoting what individual beef and sheep producers are doing was critically important

“Being a city girl originally, and still having family and a lot of friends based there with no farm contact, we realise how disconnected some city people are from how their food is produced.  We see Target 100 as the perfect platform to start bridging the gap."

Mrs Sale encouraged all cattle and sheep farmers to join the program to send a loud message that the industry is committed.

 "I'd say to all cattle and sheep farmers that if you want to ensure a long term stable market for your product, you've got to stand up and tell people what you're doing and Target 100 is an easy and effective way of doing that,” she said.

Target 100 manager Pip McConachie said the program had exceeded expectations in its first year and was well positioned to continue to deliver the message about how sustainability is part of day-to-day operations for cattle and sheep producers.

"Our research shows that as well as people wanting to know more about beef and lamb production that there is a segment of the urban population concerned about environment and welfare performance.  So, we wanted to present the facts and open up a dialogue to connect consumers with producers.

"Being acknowledged by the Banksia Environmental Foundation and receiving both the 'Raising the Bar in Education Award' and the premier environment award in the country, the Gold Banksia Award, was definitely a boost to the program in our first year," Ms McConachie said.

First year Target 100 highlights

• Reached around 20,000 people at events across the country, including a joint event with the Sydney Festival on Food Waste where the story of beef production was a highlight, Taste of Melbourne and Taste of Sydney events where young Target 100 farmers chatted with foodies keen to know more about sustainable production and the Sustainable Food Summit in Melbourne
• 130,000 school students engaged through Target 100 sponsored programs including Art4Ag and the newly released Cosmos school guides, distributed to 2,000 high schools
• 130 cattle and sheep farmers have now shared their stories with city-dwellers via the Target 100 website and social media platforms to help consumers better understand the sustainable practices involved in getting beef and lamb from paddock to plate
• The program has created a strong online community wanting to know more about beef and lamb production in its first year, with 2400 Facebook fans, 1400 Twitter followers and 7300 views on our YouTube station, as well as 40,000 people visiting the website www.Target100.com.au to learn more about sustainable beef and lamb production
• Reached million people each month through a targeted advertising program, including in cinema, Qantas inflight and magazine lift outs in the weekend papers in capital cities
• Completed 35 of the 100 research, development and extension programs and replaced them with new innovative projects.  There are always 100 active research projects underway, with new ones replacing completed projects.

Examples of some of the 35 completed programs

One of the innovative research projects showcased by Target 100 was a trial of the use of drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, to better monitor and control weeds on large cattle stations in northern Australia.  

Trialled by the University of Wollongong, another project involved the use of lasers to measure methane emissions in cattle and sheep to develop abatement and mitigation strategies around carbon emissions.

Managing, reusing and recycling waste has been another focus for Target 100, and another showcase project involved importing two species of climate-matched dung beetles from Europe to test their effectiveness in recycling nutrients from cattle and sheep poo during the cooler months.

• About Target 100: One hundred research, development and extension programs that cover water, biodiversity, climate variability, soil and groundcover, emissions, social and economic issues have been highlighted on the website www.target100.com.au. Each time a project is completed, another is added ensuring that 100 initiatives are always in development. This constant stream of innovative research will allow Australian farmers to continue to pioneer sustainable farming techniques and adapt their practices. Click here to view the initiatives.