Photo by Mike Terry
Australian agriculture is experiencing a dramatic shift in momentum following the unprecedented global declaration at COP28 in December, signed by more than 150 countries, including Australia, where for the first-time food production will be front and centre of national pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The game changing nature of the declaration, and the wider opportunities for farmers who are looking for practical on-farm information to take home and action, will be front and centre at the upcoming Wilmot Cattle Co. Field Day, which is taking place in just under one month.
Wilmot Cattle Co. is an 8,000-hectare beef cattle breeding, trading, and grass finishing operation, comprised of four properties in the New England region of New South Wales.
Photo by Mike Terry
The program for the annual two-day immersive on-farm event boasts an impressive lineup of producers, thought leaders and subject matter experts from across the industry and supply chain to share their insights and experiences.
This year’s event is aptly themed Accelerating the Change: Food, Fibre and Nature, and will be held at Wilmot Cattle Co. near Hernani NSW on 28 and 29 February, with additional farm tours happening on 27 February.
General Manager of Wilmot Cattle Co., Stuart Austin, said that 2024 has the potential to put Australian agriculture back on the front foot.
“The current situation we find ourselves in certainly makes this year’s Wilmot Field Day, and the theme of accelerating change for farmers and the wider industry, more relevant than ever,” Mr Austin said.
“Decision makers, governments, finance institutions, customers and consumers are increasingly looking to Australian agriculture to deliver climate solutions and clean, quality and healthy food, all of which we can do.”
“As part of the Field Day we want to demonstrate how farming businesses can continue to focus on their core business of food production while at the same time accelerating and enhancing other aspects of the farm, including natural capital assets like biodiversity, pasture growth, soil health, carbon sequestration and water quality, and potentially add revenue to the bottom line.”
“The event also offers a chance to see climate smart and resilient farming practices in action, demonstrating how Australian livestock production can be a global leader by working in harmony with nature rather than seeking to control it in order to build productivity, ecological resilience and improved environmental outcomes.”
The Wilmot Cattle Co. Field Day 2024 has a strong line up of keynote speakers, including Joel Williams from Integrated Soils in Canada, renowned soil scientist Dr Elaine Mitchell, Tony Mahar, CEO National Farmers’ Federation, Ashley Silver, CEO Atlas Carbon, and New Zealand’s ‘Enviropreneur’ Roger Beattie from Eyris Pearls.
The event also includes several panel discussions and interactive workshops with leaders from across the agriculture industry as well as farm tours, unrivalled networking opportunities, the highly anticipated Dinner Under the Stars and a chance to hear from leading producers who will share their knowledge and experiences – including Scott McCalman from Jedburgh Farming, Tom and Antionette Archer from Archer Pastoral, Nikki Davey from Grown Not Flown and Adam Turner from Springhill Beef Co.
Farm tours and paddock walks
For the first time, the Wilmot Cattle Co. Field Day 2024 includes additional farm tours and paddock walks, including sister Wilmot property Woodburn, a 2,555-hectare beef breeding enterprise situated north of Walcha. Farm tours at Morocco and Kuranda are also available.
“While the Field Day provides the perfect platform to discuss and explore the opportunities and challenges facing our sector, more importantly it gives us a chance to open the farm gate and welcome anyone who is interested in seeing what we do and how we go about it,” Mr Austin said.
“There is clearly a renewed focus on agriculture that improves the resilience of landscapes, delivers climate solutions and improves farm productivity and we look forward to demonstrating how we and many others have gone about that over a number of years and the results we have seen.”
Tickets to the event are selling fast, and farm tour bookings filling up, so anyone wishing to attend is encouraged to secure their ticket as soon as possible.
View the full program and book tickets on the Wilmot Cattle Co. website or click here
Sponsors and supporting partners of the Wilmot Cattle Co. Field Day 2024 include dinner sponsors – Atlas Carbon, Sunset Drinks sponsors – Highland Beef Pastoral Company, AgriFutures evokeAG, Meat & Livestock Australia, National Australia Bank, nbn® Australia, Commonwealth Bank, Black Box Co, Farmbot Monitoring Solutions, Ruminati, Draiger, RCS Australia and Moin Morris Schaefer Lawyers.
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Media contact:
Matt Peacock, Dentsu Creative PR
Matt.peacock@dentsu.com or 0408 362 696
Notes to Editors:
Wilmot Cattle Co. is part of the Macdoch Ag Group, an entity of Macdoch Australia, which is comprised of innovative farming, agtech and advisory businesses striving to show how a resilient agriculture sector builds natural capital and contributes to global climate solutions.
Wilmot Cattle Co. has an ethos of innovation and a desire to restore the ecological function of its farmed landscapes in a profitable way, which takes careful management and practice change.
Founded in 2008 with the purchase of Wilmot, outside Ebor in northern NSW, the business now spans four properties across the New England region totalling 8,000 hectares, and grows pastures under sustainable, productive and profitable management.
WCC is contributing to reversing climate change by taking carbon out of the atmosphere and storing it in their landscapes. The business aims to inspire and empower others to make changes to their operations, for the benefit of their communities and the landscapes they manage.
Stuart Austin, General Manager
Stuart is passionate about the beef industry and food production.
Through the farm businesses he operates, Stuart is a pioneer at regenerating and restoring the ecological function of the landscape in a profitable way, while producing high quality nutrient dense beef.
Stuart spent a vast majority of his early career working in the northern Australian pastoral industry, as well as time in broadacre agriculture in Canada, a feedlot in southern Queensland, and was the founder of an international agriculture recruitment business.
Stuart often shares the WCC story online, in media, on podcasts and has been a keynote speaker on various occasions in Australia and North America. In 2019 Stuart was awarded the national Young Carbon Farmer of the Year Award and the business has been twice recognised as a Champion in the NSW Landcare Awards.
Source: WIlmot Cattle Company