Meeting of the red meat masters

The who’s who of red meat production in Tasmania was welcomed to the 2026 Red Meat Updates in Launceston last Friday, July 31, by Red Meat Updates Working Group chair and Warrington Ag, Longford farm manager Matt Connellan.

He also introduced a series of local and national industry champions and innovators, including Elverton Pastoral at Blessington farm manager Will Lyon, organic meat producer at AOM Group, Dubbo, NSW, Matt O’Leary, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture farm manager Andrew Marshall and Incitec Pivot technical agronomist in pasture and cropping Lee Menhenett from Arcadia, Victoria.

Elverton Pastoral owner Ian Dickenson was in the audience, not only to hear Will speak but to keep up with the latest trends that apply to the farm’s  grass, beef and forestry operations.

“There’s a younger team at the helm now but it’s important we’re all up to date with what’s happening around the world - the board of management can’t all get to the seminar so I’ll be reporting back next week,” he said.

He was particularly interested in the presentation from Professor Peter McGilchrist from the University of New England on “getting bang for your buck in the pursuit of meat-eating quality” and how to better manage livestock before they go on a truck.

“For years we’ve been told to lock them up and empty them out before they go to the abattoir, but it makes sense what he said that we’re not really achieving a lot and it could be costing us money,” he said.

“The Updates also highlight for me the rate of change in respect to technology - what we have to implement to stay somewhere near the top 25 percenters is mind-boggling - but that’s all covered here.

“One of the hardest things I’ve had to get used to with the next generation is the amount of time spent planning and analysing on computers and checking things, it’s very different to a time when a farmer just went out at daylight and came home at dark and made your phone calls on a landline.”

Jake Bourne, based in Wagga NSW, has been to three Red Meat Updates, once in a former genetics role with Zoetis and for the past two as a business development executive with major sponsor Angus Australia, where he looks after the commercial DNA products - Heifer Select and Steer Select along with Angus Verified.

He said visiting Tasmania for the Red Meat Updates was a great opportunity to connect with new clients.

“Heifer Select is gaining ground as a good commercial tool to help rank cattle and make good breeding and selection decisions without any other data,” he said.

“I was on King and Flinders Islands collecting samples a month ago and will be back for more shortly - the uptake’s great and the product’s growing so it’s constant work to get around Tasmania to cover those wanting to come on board.”