THE Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association will embark on a new three year phase with a brand new leadership team in place with David Connolly, the general manager at the Tipperary Group of Stations, set to be announced as the organisation’s next president at its annual general meeting in Alice Springs this afternoon.

Mr Connolly (left) is the only confirmed nomination standing for president to take over from Alice Springs cattle producer Chris Nott, who completes his three year term today.

Mr Nott, who has been was praised for his leadership during a period of high challenges, will make his final address as president to the NTCA conference tomorrow.

The NTCA recently appointed a new Chief Executive Officer, former Cattle Council of Australia policy adviser and Northern Territory Livestock Exporters Association CEO Will Evans.

In recent months the CEO’s role has been managed by executive director Romy Carey in an interim capacity following the sudden and unexplained departure of former CEO Ashley Manicaros in December last year, after two years in the position.

Mr Evans started in the CEO role this week as the organisation hosts its 36th annual conference and dinner in Alice Springs on Friday. The event is always one of the most popular on the northern cattle industry calendar with more than 600 people registered to attend this year.

The newly branded President-CEO duo pick up the reins at a time of record high prices for cattle, cyclically low herds and, importantly, a return to a more traditional wet season conditions and green paddocks following years of drought, which should provide the catalyst for a long-delayed northern herd rebuild.

Mr Connolly brings extensive experience and northern cattle industry knowledge to the NTCA President position.

He studied stock and meat inspection at the University of Queensland’s Gatton College before being recruited by major livestock agency Dalgety (the predecessor to Landmark which was merged with Ruralco in 2019 to form Nutrien Ag Solutions) as a trainee livestock salesmen and auctioneer.

After gaining experience in branches including Gympie, Cloncurry, Dalby, Toowoomba and Injune, he was appointed while still in his 20s as manager of the large Roma office and as regional manager overseeing Dalgety’s western Queensland branches, before being promoted to Qld and NSW livestock and stud stock manager, for what was by then Wesfarmers Dalgety.

Following an agency career spanning almost 20 years Mr Connolly joined AA Co as general manager of livestock before being appointed to the role of Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the operational requirements of over 30 Stations, two major feedlots and a herd that stood at the time at over 620,000 head of cattle.

In 2011 he joined a family-owned farm supplies company in WA as CEO on a 12 month contract and guided it through a public listing on the ASX, before returning to the Northern Territory with a large scale international agricultural investment fund.

In that role he oversaw the raising of funds and the acquisition of livestock assets in Chile, New Zealand and Australia, which included purchasing Tanumbirini from Stirling Buntine and Forest Hill from Peter Schubert for the Australian business, Thames Pastoral Company.

In 2015 Mr Connolly was approached by Allan Myers QC, owner of the iconic NT station Tipperary, to take over as general manager of his northern cattle operations, which in addition to Tipperary also include Litchfield and Douglas West Stations.

Under his management the operation has capitalised on the significant diversification opportunities that were made possible by the introduction of Non-Pastoral Use Permits in the NT in 2013.

Tipperary Station

Tipperary’s farming activities have been expanded to include large-scale fodder crops for hay and silage production, irrigated and rainfed broadacre cotton and intensive citrus plantation developments.

The expansion into farming has also enabled greater diversification of the cattle business with forage and silage being used to take cattle to heavier weights for export to Vietnam or transport to domestic meatworks in southern and eastern Australia.

“Administered correctly the Non Pastoral Use Permits are a fantastic program to allow pastoralists here in the NT to diversify their portfolios to manage risk and to have more than one income stream on their property,” Mr Connolly said.

“These big stations up here employ a lot of people, many of them have families and kids going to school on the stations, and that has been made possible by Governments allowing these activities to take place.”

Mr Connolly has served for the past 12 months on the NTCA board as the NTCA’s delegate to the National Farmers Federation.

He described the NTCA president’s role as “a huge responsibility”, one that he was both excited and daunted by.

“Knowing the ability of the presidents who have gone before me, and some of these huge issues that those presidents have faced and with their executive have been able to mostly overcome, the enormity of the role gives me pause.

“But I am very excited for the future of the cattle industry here in the Northern Territory.

“The NTCA has a very dynamic board, it is very focused on looking after its members interests, from small family producers right through to large family producers and large corporates, and I am excited about the role and operating on behalf of all the members.”

Mr Connolly said it was fantastic to see cattle prices at their current high levels, but also sounded a note of caution that the industry needed to be mindful of its customers and the potential that exists to be priced out of the market.

“We don’t have a lot of choice about high prices because we operate in a free market whereby market forces dictate the price, we don’t have any Government or other manipulation of that market, it is dictated by supply and demand.

“We have short supply, high demand, lots of green everywhere, and more floods in the south, so people are going to want livestock, and we will see high prices.

“I am buoyed by the high prices, but also just a bit cautious as to what effect that is having on our customers overseas that take these cattle.

“It is good taking short terms gains, but we do have to think about what that does to us long term, because it can come to a point where livestock become too dear for our customers and they seek other ways to fill that requirement, and you have to be careful that you can get back into that market.”

‘Take the reins and ride your own horse’

Mr Connolly paid tribute to outgoing president Chris Nott, saying he had done a great job during his tenure, and had devoted a great deal of time to the position.

“Chris has been a strong voice of advocacy for the NTCA during his tenure and with his leadership group has definitely overseen the advancement and protection of the interests of the NTCA membership, particularly during periods of high challenge.

“I asked Chris for some advice in the role, and he said, take the reins and ride your own horse.”

• The ABC reported this afternoon that the NTCA’s former chief executive Ashley Manicaros is suing the organisation over his sacking, claiming his employment was terminated because of his political opinions. Mr Manicaros was chief executive of the NTCA from August 2018 until December 2020, when he was abruptly dumped from the position. The ABC says he has filed a statement of claim in the Federal Circuit Court against the NTCA and its president Chris Nott, claiming he was sacked because of his political alignment with the Country Liberal Party.