What's Your Beef

One of the featured events of the Beef Australia expos is the Nose to Tail dinner- where a carcase is cut down on stage to reveal some of the complexities of meat preparation, all the while guests are treated to the delicious results on their plates. At Beef21, the spotlight was on butcher Alison Meagher, or Butcher Girl as she is known.

The beef industry has a wonderful relationship with Alison. Not only has she found a career in meat, but it's taken her around the World, showcasing Australian product to some of the planet's highest rollers in the most spectacular places. It also meant finding the love of her life, as they both wielded butcher's knives on opposite sides of the cutting bench.

What's Your Beef? host Jayne Cuddihy was lucky enough to speak to her between events at Beef21.

Melinee Leather is an organic cattle producer from Barfield Station in Queensland's Banana region. With her husband Rob, the pair have built a thriving cattle business and hold true to their values of sustainable agriculture with strict biosecurity and animal welfare measures. It's through her work with the broader industry that Melinee has gained a strong understanding of what consumers are expecting from their food producers and has been awarded several times for her tireless efforts to improve understanding within her peers.

Pitch in the Paddock is one of Beef Australia's showcase events. It's where innovators and entrepreneurs in the Ag Tech space spend a few gruelling months preparing a three minute pitch to some of the most well connected funders in the country. Not only do they have a $10 thousand prize up for grabs, but access to influential networks and decision makers. Listen here as What's Your Beef podcast host Jayne Cuddihy takes you behind the scenes to meet the finalists and the judges.

Where are the beef cheeks? That's the number one demand coming from consumers according to one of Australia's biggest supermarkets.

Steven Rennie is the national livestock manager for Coles Beef. The retail giant says they prefer to work with family farms and businesses citing the ability to build meaningful relationships with their suppliers and a commitment to quality and consistency.

Coles processes over half a million head of Australian cattle annually and as he told podcast host Jayne Cuddihy, it's important to him that his buyers are in the drafting yard when they are selected.

What do 115 thousand people, 5000 cubic metres of sawdust, $23million worth of cattle, 50 politicians and 78 ticketed events have in common? You guessed it- Beef 21.

After such a tumultuous leadup it's hard to believe it's over, but wheels are already in motion for Beef24.

Ian Mill is Beef Australia's CEO. This was his first time in the driving seat and while he's been a long- term Rockhampton resident, he says the inner sanctum gave him a refreshed appreciation for Australia's incredible beef industry.

April Cavanagh is an impressive character in Australia's banking and agricultural sectors. As Suncorp's head of Agribusiness she knows all too well the challenges and triumphs of the beef industry. Listen here as Jayne Cuddihy discovers where her passion stems from and why her staff and peers rate her as one of the most influential leaders of her time. She also has bit of fashion advice for those wanting to make a difference!

You'd be hard pressed to find someone more passionate about rural health services that Professor Sabina Knight. After a lifetime living and working in remote areas of Australia, she has developed an intimate knowledge of the best way to service some of our most problematic areas. Currently working as part of James Cook University's Department of Rural Health, Sabina's dedicated to growing a rural health network from her base in Mount Isa, Western Queensland.

For many young Australians, owning your own cattle property has become almost an impossible dream. Cameron MacMillan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority or QRIDA who are increasingly gaining a reputation for being the saving grace to making dreams reality. They also play a pivotal role in getting communities back on their feet following disaster. Join Cameron as he takes a look at his fascinating career- from starting as a stock and station agent in Western Queensland to setting up export markets in South Korea before they were a major trading partner, to his role at QRIDA and everything in between!

Remote sensors on livestock is one of those things that in 1984 you would have thought impossible- and today- we're almost spoilt for choice. But, like any technology, how much further can we take it and what is it's potential? Mark Trotter is a researcher leading Central Queensland University's Precision Livestock Management team. His specialist area is the development and evaluation of on-animal sensors, such as smart tags, to improve monitoring and management of individual animals for production, health and welfare issues. In this episode he talks about the benefits and the challenges of remote sensors and how CQU is leading the charge in research for grassroots applications.

We hear a lot about human gut health- but what about cattle? With four stomachs to keep in optimal condition it stands to reason we should be talking about it more. There's some fascinating work being done here in Australia with microbial fermentation and its relationship with animal nutrition by global company Lallemand Animal Nutrition. If you've ever wondered about silage and the benefits to both animal health and food safety, then this is the episode for you.

Managing Director Alex Turney leaves no stone unturned in what's involved in the production process and the benefits to cattle production. He also gives a sneak preview of their huge plans for their Beef21 site, including a fresh silage pit to touch, smell and taste!