Boots on the ground: cattle, conversations and insights from the Top End

The Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association (NTCA) held their annual conference in Darwin from 19–22 March, bringing together hundreds of beef producers, industry leaders and experts.

For Erin Lukey (MLA Senior Market Information Analyst) and Sarah Hassall (MLA Project Manager – Northern Beef Adoption), the opportunity to head to the NTCA conference was invaluable.

On-the-ground insights

Erin Lukey said attending the event allowed her to get a better understanding of sentiment in the region, as well as how to best communicate market insights to NT beef producers.

“There is a bit of a gap regarding data collection up in the Northern Territory.

“Getting the chance to speak to people at the event helped me to understand what information is needed and how we can better communicate with producers and industry that are based in the north,” Erin said.

Hearing from producers at the end of the wet season and learning how the regions have fared provided valuable on-the-ground insights for Erin, highlighting the timeliness of the event.

“It was an important time of year to come together – the wet season has been pretty sporadic.

“Having those conversations with producers around what has unfolded in different regions is essential in understanding how the upcoming production season will play out,” she said.  

Rural health and safety in focus

Along with the opportunity to speak directly with NT producers, Erin said another highlight of the conference was the prominence of rural safety and health on the agenda.

“It’s a really important area for those in the industry to understand,” she said.

“Sometimes producers can put their own health on the backburner, so it’s great to see health and safety information is provided at these events and it was received really well across the board.”

Keeping up to date

As MLA’s Project Manager for Northern Beef Adoption, Sarah Hassall also highlighted how beneficial it was for her to attend the NTCA conference.

“It was a really great opportunity for me to meet as well as catch up with northern producers and stakeholders,” Sarah said.

“Being able to have those personal conversations with people is so important to help inform us  about what is happening across the northern cattle sector and how we can best help producers in their businesses.”

Sarah also got a lot of value out the updates provided at the conference, including policy and technology changes, as well as the seasonal outlook.

“It’s important that I’m keeping up to date with all the changes across the industry to understand timely challenges which producers may be facing and how we might be able to support them through the MLA adoption programs and workshops.

“I had some great conversations around our BeefUp Forums – it was good to see the word spreading about them.

“These conversations weren’t only from those who were interested in attending our July events in Rockhampton and Alice Springs, but also those who wanted to be involved in the forum itself, whether from a trade stall perspective or joining one of our speaking panels.”

More than a conference

Both Sarah and Erin agreed that the conference provided more to attendees than just simply providing industry updates.

Several networking events were held throughout the conference, providing producers with an opportunity to connect with like-minded people and compare what they’re doing with their operations.

“Not only does the event allow producers to get away from their businesses for a bit, it also provides a social networking opportunity for them,” Sarah said.

Erin agreed. “Even for myself, I saw and caught up with so many people I didn’t even know were going to be there. I think the conference was a great opportunity for producers to catch up with people they might not have seen in a while and see what they are up to with their properties.”