THE next generation of Queensland beef producers got to have their say regarding the state of the industry at a Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) held consultation day on March 8.
DAFF Extension Officer’s and joint consultation day organisers Megan Debney and Kate Brown said the goal of the day was to gain insight that will allow DAFF Extension to cater for the needs of the younger grazier, based on what they say they want to know firsthand.
“The aim is to find the balance between utilising new technologies, in conjunction with on-property services, to help producers implement management techniques to improve profitability and sustainability,” Ms Debney said.
“We also wanted to find out how what technology this particular demographic uses to access information, and possible causes that prevent access, so we can find ways to reach as many producers as possible, and come up with ideas of how to overcome current problems,” she said.
A vast selection of questions were posed to the group including what factors influenced them attending events and how they prioritised what information and events were most useful for them, too questions asking if childcare access created difficulties in attending events.
All the responses were inputted by the workshop participants using keypads, so the information could be correlated and studied by DAFF Extension to create more efficient communication avenues.
The second part of the day involved the workshop participants breaking into groups to brainstorm for ideas regarding what they’d most like to see implemented into a DAFF-organised event sometime in the next 12-months to be held at Charters Towers.
The groups had to think in terms of four distinct categories including animal production, business management, grazing land management and human resources, while also factoring in location, topic, time, and method of delivery. The method of delivery then needed to be broken down into a category such as a workshop, field day, webinar, forum, property visit etc.
“At the end of the group discussion we had lots of great ideas about how to help change the industry for future generations ranging from you tube videos, half-day workshops or a forum on what young people need to know to own a beef business,” Ms Debney said.
The guests then voted on the idea they’d most like to see be put into action.
“There was a tie between an animal production topic and a grazing land management topic, both in the form of a field day,” she said.
“Kate and I will develop these ideas so at least one event is held by June 2014.”
“As so many great ideas were generated we hope to incorporate what we can onto our work plan.
The workshop participants were keen to follow up as a group in six months and the feedback indicated the workshop should be delivered in other areas.
The day ended with a BBQ that included invited stakeholders to provide an opportunity for young producers to meet other young people involved in the industry.
