Performance in focus at Herefords Australia forum

A shift away from breed-driven premiums towards measurable production performance is emerging as a key theme ahead of the Herefords Australia Livestock Markets and Marketing Breed Forum in Wodonga.

There's less than two weeks left to register for the event set to be held on Tuesday, May 12, ahead of the Herefords Australia National Show and Sale later in the week.

The forum will bring together producers, agents and supply chain stakeholders at a time when market dynamics are forcing a reassessment of long-held breeding and marketing priorities.

According to RMA Network Chief Executive Officer Chris Howie, the southern cattle industry has spent more than a decade operating under a system where breed premiums often outweighed objective performance metrics.

“For the past 15 years the southern cattle industry has maintained a breed specific focus driven by a market premium. Weight for age has run second to price over this period of time,” Mr Howie said.

That environment is now changing, driven in part by evolving feedlot specifications, and the result is a renewed emphasis on efficiency - particularly weight-for-age, feed conversion and time to market - with genetics again becoming central to decision-making.

“Producer and agency focus on preparation of cattle with animal health protocols, weaning, transport, handling, processor assurance programs and concentrating on feed conversion have seen genetics become a key driver to target marketing," he said.

Mr Howie said the shift was also challenging some entrenched attitudes within the industry.

“The parochial breed discussions based on emotion and past investment are starting to take a back seat as the cost to produce a kilo of beef continues to go up.”

Instead, producers are increasingly focusing on measurable outputs.

“Savvy operators are now looking at pasture and feed conversion to kilos of beef in the shortest possible time.”

 Mr Howie said while price remains outside a producer’s control, operational efficiency is not. He also pointed to the cost of inefficiency as a critical factor often overlooked.

“It takes three times as much feed to add one kilo as it does to lose one kilo.”

Mr Howie will further discuss how as input costs rise and margins tighten, production systems that prioritise efficiency and measurable performance are likely to outperform those built around historical pricing signals, at the Wodonga forum.

The forum's program reflects this broader industry transition and peakers include representatives from Zoetis, Meat & Livestock Australia, Woolworths, Neogen and Mallee Marketing

Running concurrently, the National Show and Sale Trade Fair will feature a cross-section of agribusiness suppliers, highlighting the growing role of technology, data and service providers in supporting production efficiency.

The forum opens at 9am, before Herefords Australia CEO Hamish Chandler kicks off the formalities at 10am.

Visit the Herefords Australia website for more details and to register before May 6.