NB2 gate opens up productivity-boosting ideas

For the Marks family, MLA’s Northern Breeding Business (NB2) program hasn’t only helped to improve productivity in their Central Queensland business – it’s also broadened their connection to the industry, to tap into new ideas.

Darren and Alice Marks took over the reins of their four properties – a beef breeding business made up of family-owned land and purchased country – in 2015.

The family joined the NB2’s Burdekin producer group in 2021, motivated by the desire of their two eldest daughters – Natalie and Olivia – to become more involved in their business.

“It’s a great opportunity for the girls to learn from producers who might be facing different challenges or combating similar situations with different techniques,” Alice said.

“The fact it was a producer-driven program was also a big motivator in getting involved.

“The feeling of being heard and continuing face-to-face connections are so important for those living in rural, and often isolated, areas.”

Producer focus

Natalie said the ability for producers in each NB2 group to focus on what was important to their business was valuable.

“The program is a three-year commitment, so we made the decision, as a group, to meet quarterly each year for a two-day period, with each member taking turns to host,” she said.

“Collectively, we decide on what topics we want to cover during each meet-up, and where we want to focus our learning before the next quarterly visit.

“While we do have the staff from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and MLA aiding us throughout the process, the producer-driven aspect of the program has been really good in building trust between all involved parties and allowing producers to feel heard.

“Hosting producers also have the option of choosing a guest speaker to help address their individual business concerns, which we’ve found helps encourage us to consider other management opportunities.”

The producer group process began with an introductory course which guided producers through the different NB2 templates available. It was followed by foundational training which helped equip producers with the necessary skills and tools to collect and understand data.

Cattle at the Marks’ Clermont property, ‘Winvic’. Image: the Marks family.

Business analysis

The Burdekin group collected three years of herd, business and feedbase performance data which was used to generate a business analysis that identified areas for improvement.

“It was helpful to build our confidence in understanding data, and acted as the first step towards greater productivity,” Natalie said.

“The business analysis reports we each received were great in allowing the group to come together and identify common areas that need addressing.”

Currently, the Marks are integrating their current feedbase program with their herd data and are using the MLA-supported Australian Feedbase Monitor tool to ensure their stocking rates match their carrying capacity.

To gain further understanding on their herd productivity, the Marks also use Black Box Co (a cloud-based software program that links data captured along the beef supply chain) to help interpret herd fertility rates and carcase feedback.

“Looking back on charts from past years, we could see where we missed opportunities to make the most of our feedbase simply because we weren’t as competent with data collection and analysis,” Alice said.

“Now, with what we’re learning through NB2, we’ve found ourselves moving towards a position where we have a feedbase that’s productive all year round.

“For the first time in years, we feel like we could buy more cattle.”

The next steps

As the Burdekin NB2 producer group enters its second year, the next step is to focus on how they use the group budget, which is funded 50/50 by producers and MLA.

“We postponed using the budget as we wanted both the data and the education to ensure we’re spending money on the right things,” Natalie said.

“It’s important everyone feels as though their money is being spent on something worthwhile, so we definitely needed that first year to understand and communicate our business goals.

“Now, entering our second year, I feel as though we have built enough trust in each other to start making choices on where to direct our budgets.”

The Burdekin group will start directing their budget towards data collection in June – specifically on Gallagher and the Black Box Co.

Later in the year, they plan to look at investing in education on herd nutrition and business management.

How NB2 gives northern producers an edge

Northern Breeding Business (NB2) is as a joint initiative of MLA and the North Australia Beef Research Council (NABRC).

NB2 aims to improve the long-term viability of the northern Australian beef industry by:

• enhancing breeding herd performance through improved systems and interventions
• optimising feed production and supply for the breeding herd
• exploring issues in rangeland management and the long-term sustainability of the industry
• turning R&D outcomes into practice change on-farm.

How it works

Seven regionally diverse producer groups across northern Australia have been established to provide insight and direction.

Supported by a producer coordinator and an experienced facilitator, groups work together over two years to better understand and explore production, environmental and financial opportunities for their businesses.

Producers work on their own business management plans, with the benefit of using fellow group members to exchange ideas.

Any producer who currently operates a beef breeding business in the northern Regional Beef Research Committee regions is welcome to apply for NB2.