What's Your Beef

Shannon Speight and Emma Black are quintessential modern women. Young professionals, willing and able to make meaningful change, young children running around their feet as they launch a new business and plenty of volunteer hours on the industry they are most passionate about- beef. Emma and Shannon come from vastly different backgrounds but have both landed in Far North Queensland to work in the beef industry. They've identified the challenges around producers' larger bugbears- the concept of 'data' and what to do with it, or how to manage it and have come up with an incredible business idea aimed at getting the most of out of the D word. They are also both on Beef Australia's Next Gen committee and have a sneak peek at what's in store for next year's event.

Mark Harris is the Global Animal Management Marketing manager for Gallagher- one of Australia's favourite brands for fencing and animal management products. In this episode, he tells Jayne Cuddihy how a humble family business became a global company based on innovation, technology and knowing what cattle producers want in their management systems. As an engineer and a beef and dairy farmer, Mark has the best of both worlds and has a fantastic insight into the best way to help cattle producers get the results they desire. Despite the chilly weather on his New Zealand farm, Mark's favourite way to cook a steak is outside!

Emily Pullen is beefing up the snacking game. As the CEO of Toowoomba based Jim's Jerky, Emily aims to have nutritious beef snacks in the glove box of every beef-loving Australian. In this episode of 'What's Your Beef', Emily describes her interesting career path back to the family business after her father's seemingly random purchase of a butcher shop. Emily also has a terrific relationship with Beef Australia, having been a Young Ambassador and as a result spending six years in Europe. She also credits Beef Australia as playing match maker with her now husband! She is also passionate about more industry players becoming involved in industry groups and bettering understanding policy issues.

In the lead up to Beef 21, a good tantalising of taste buds was definitely in order as Beef Australia's Executive Chef Shane Bailey took our host Jayne Cuddihy on a culinary journey to explore all things that are glorious about Aussie beef. They discussed why those tasty/secondary cuts have become such a sensation on dinner plates across the world, and the fool proof 'magic number' to ensure your next beef creation is cooked to perfection. Jayne also delved into Shane's chef journey from the Noosa Boathouse, to cooking for 40,000 guests at Noosa Food and Wine, to co-ordinating the exciting Beef Australia's Celebrity Chef program at the iconic triennial event.

There's no doubt about it- Leon Giglia loves his beef! Whether it's in the paddock, on the plate, or in utero, Leon has an unbridled passion for the livestock industry. As Nutrien Ag Solutions' Western Livestock manager, Leon has the pleasure of overseeing a dynamic and diverse part of Australia's cattle industry. From the Pilbara to Bunbury his detailed knowledge of markets, trends and genetics has been built up over a lifetime. Join What's Your Beef host Jayne Cuddihy as she discovers what sparked his career and why he insists on dragging huge amounts of Western Australian cattle producers across the Nullabor to Beef Australia events.

Pitch in the Paddock was one of the highlights on the Beef18 program and its popularity looks set to continue. Robert Bell and his team from ProAgni took out top honours at the 2018 event and have reaped the rewards from the spotlight as their business continues to grow and develop. In this episode Robert tells host Jayne Cuddihy that the 5 minute pitch is worth the effort and gives some fabulous tips on how to prepare. He also explains how ProAgni has revolutionised bovine health by producing patent-pending antibiotic free feed supplements for cattle and sheep that significantly improve productivity. If you are interested in throwing your hat into the ring for Pitch in the Paddock at Beef 2021, visit https://beefaustralia.com.au/pitchinthepaddock/

Best recognised for mixing it with some of the toughest front row forwards rugby league has ever produced, Shane Webcke recently caught up with Russell Hughes in a Toowoomba bar for a couple of beers, a steak, and a chat. They discussed footy, Shane's love of agriculture, and how he manages to jam 25 hours into each day. He also opens up about the devastating loss of his dad when his rugby league career was just taking off, and the person that provided a shoulder to lean on when he really needed it. Make sure you say g'day to Shane when you spot him at Beef 2021 ... just don't get caught behind him at the buffet table!

Cherie Gooding has been a keen advocate for Beef Australia's expo for decades. Moving through the ranks as a junior cattle judge, she now leads the charge with Beef's junior judging and announcing- mentoring dozens of hopeful competitors each event. As a stud breeder and bovine vet based at Biloela, Cherie brings a terrific knowledge and sense of humour to everything she does. Listen as host Jayne Cuddihy learns about her beef adventures in Africa and her return to the family property as well as a candid account of her battles with Rheumatoid arthritis and how breeding better beef through better soil saved her life.

Doing Business at Beef- whether it's networking, selling, buying or showcasing, Beef21 has it covered with industry partners such as Elders. Paul Holm is the Livestock Manager for Queensland and the Northern Territory for Australia's biggest publicly listed agribusiness agency. He gives us a sneak peek at what innovations they have in store for the 2021 expo as well as some pointers as to how to do business in the bush!

If you want to talk Ag Tech, then Mark Peart is your man! He's the CEO of DIT Technologies, one of Australia's experts in livestock water supplementation and agricultural technology. But, by his own admission he's a serial entrepreneur and his passion for making life easier for people living and working on the land is incredible. Listen as he takes host Jayne Cuddihy through some of the recent breakthroughs in Ag Tech in Australia and the enormous potential for a more dynamic beef industry.