What's Your Beef

Dominique Rizzo is one of Queensland's culinary gems. She's owned restaurants around the Brisbane area, but more importantly is passionate about showcasing Australian beef on an international stage through innovative menus and various experiences. She is also one of Beef Australia's Celebrity Chefs and as host Jayne Cuddihy discovers, is creating quite a mouth-watering repertoire for the Beef21 event!

Greg Pankhurst is the chair of the Queensland Live Exports Association, following a 35 year career in the feedlotting and live export industry- most of it in Indonesia. In this episode he tells host Jayne Cuddihy how the Australian live export industry can better communicate their amazing achievements and the rigour behind the World's best animal welfare standards. He also details his incredible collection of Indonesian wedding and celebration attire and gives a sneak peak into what we can expect from his mentee in the Graeme Acton Beef Connections Program at Beef21.

Central Queensland's Becker family made a splash at Beef18 with their bright red shirts and virtual reality property tours. Their Jarrah Cattle Company brand has only further developed their seed stock and other vertically integrated pursuits. Beef21 will be no different- listen here as host Jayne Cuddihy chats to Sam Becker about how they are opening their property gates for tours during the 2021 event and what we can expect for smoko! (Also what's in the paddock of course!)

Dale and Alicia Retschlag are a dynamic partnership from Goovigen in Central Queensland, passionate about biodiversity, tasty beef and soil health. While they have been advocating for improvements in soil heath for 20 years, they've upped the anti in the last three - putting their stock through a high intensity grazing system under irrigation which has reaped some incredible results. In this episode Dale takes host Jayne Cuddihy through the changes they've made in their operation to maximise nutrients for the soil and the cattle and highlighting the dramatic benefits of good stock handling.

Garlone Moulin and Jamie Gordon own and operate Mt Pleasant Station between Bowen and Collinsville in North Queensland. They have been active members of the Queensland Government initiative - Landholders Driving Change project. Their willingness to trial different approaches to managing their property and then share it with their extended community has proved incredibly valuable in the Bowen, Broken and Bogie catchments of the Burdekin region. In this episode Garlone takes Jayne Cuddihy on a tour of the smorgasbord of biodiversity they've bought back to their pastures and ecosystem to the benefit of their grazing business.

Bernie English and Joe Rolfe are two old beefos- or beef extension officers with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries- albeit these days they hold well deserved senior positions in Mareeba in Far North Queensland. In this episode they reflect on their careers with host Jayne Cuddihy and talk about some of the greatest achievements and ongoing challenges for the Northern beef industry. They also discuss the merits of delicious Aussie steak, but lament the way it's sometimes presented by those who should know better!

Mark Scholes is an account manager with Nutrien Ag Solutions' Stud Stock department. For 26 years he's trapsed the catwalks of Queensland's selling arenas, gaining a terrific insight into market trends, but also an idea of some of breed developments we can expect over coming years. He also told host Jayne Cuddihy some of his trade cooking secrets!

Alison Larard is one of those unique individuals that's everywhere at the same time. While her desk job is a beef extension officer with the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries in Mareeba, you rarely find her in the office! She's had a career as a financial councillor and beef economist, completed a Nuffield Scholarship and dabbles with her own herd of cattle whenever she gets a chance. As Jayne Cuddihy found out, Alison is deeply passionate about empowering people in the beef industry to think outside the box, get educated and be involved- cumulating in a new industry specific leadership course offered in 2020.

Michael Wilkes is the head of the Thomas Elder Institute - the research and development arm of Elders. He works alongside Meat and Livestock Australia for the MLA and Elders co- innovation project and is an expert in carbon farming! In this episode he talks Jayne Cuddihy through some of the cutting edge innovations and technology they're working on to refine the science behind carbon farming and why he considers it a key sustainability initiative that many beef producers are considering as part of their agribusiness.

If you ever get invited to Sam Burke's house for a Sunday barbie, don't be surprised if there's at least five BBQ's at work for the meal. It's only a quarter of his collection after all! MLA's executive chef is as passionate about beef as the producers that put it at his disposal. Listen to this episode as he takes Jayne Cuddihy on a candid trip through memory lane- starting with his Central Queensland cattle country heritage, to cooking for thousands at a Rugby World Cup, to ensuring beef is on the menu as best as it can be in international food service. He's got 25 years experience of working with premium beef and a life time of passion for the product.