A record number of university students and young professionals in the red meat industry will converge in Rockhampton in April for the 2023 ICMJ Northern Conference, with registrations selling out for the second year in a row.

Ethan Mooney

Hosted by CQUniversity Australia and Teys Australia from April 12 to 15, this year’s ICMJ Northern Conference will be the biggest yet.

Capacity was increased for this year’s event but was capped at 130 to ensure the conference can continue to live up to its reputation for providing hands-on workshops and face-to-face learning and networking opportunities.

ICMJ Northern Conference event coordinator Ethan Mooney, of Teys Australia, said the event’s popularity was proof of its increasing value to the red meat industry.

“It’s fantastic to see this event go from strength to strength and really cement its place as one of the premier events on the northern beef industry calendar,” he said.

Mr Mooney said a fantastic line up of speakers and the ever-popular carcase breakdown were key attractions for this year’s participants.

“We have put together an exciting program that will inspire the future leaders of the red meat industry and provide them with skills and knowledge to give them a head start for a great career,” he said.

On day one of the conference program, Dr Darryl Savage from The North Australian Pastoral Company will share the company’s breeding story- a tale of reproduction, survival rates, meat quality and carbon neutrality.

As NAPCO’s general manager of programs and innovation, Dr Savage is at the helm of the company’s approach to sustainability, including the breeding program behind Australia’s first carbon neutral beef brand – Five Founders.

“It’s a wonderful breeding program in that it is methodically planned to achieve very simple objectives,” Dr Savage said.

“Optimizing fertility, growth and meat quality drive the efficiency of the business but also deliver some very positive environmental outcomes.”

Looking beyond the horizon, Beef Australia Chair, Cattle Australia Director and CEO of Camm Agricultural Group, Bryce Camm will also present in Rockhampton.

His talk on anticipating and adapting to the future of beef production will provide participants with a unique insight into what lies ahead for the Australian beef industry.

OurCow’s Bianca Tarrant and Independent Chair of the Red Meat Advisory Council, John McKillop and Michael Crowley, CEO of Herefords Australia are also amongst the stellar line up alongside Melinee Leather from Leather Cattle Co..

Founders of direct-to-consumer beef producer Our Cow, Dave McGiveron and Bianca Tarrant.

The Australian ICMJ program exposes students and young professionals to the fundamentals of meat quality, carcase specifications required in today’s market, the requirements of the modern consumer and the role of new technologies in meeting those needs.

As well as the training workshops and the meat judging competition, the ICMJ Northern Conference program will feature an Industry and Careers Expo including Australia’s major meat processing companies, several large vertically integrated beef supply chains, and industry service providers.

The 2023 ICMJ Northern Conference is possible thanks to the generous support of foundation partners Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) and sponsors including Teys Australia, CQUniversity, JBS Australia, NH Foods, Beef Australia, Rockhampton Regional Council, Signature Beef, Herefords Australia, Australian Brahman Breeders Association, Greenleaf, Allflex and Australian Association of Animal Sciences.

Source: ICMJ