P.PIP.0769 - Northern Intercollegiate Meat Judging Program

Summary

The purpose of this project is to deliver a Northern Intercollegiate Meat Judging program, as a pilot of extending the success from the existing levy-funded ICMJ program to young industry professionals and students in the northern beef industry.

Objectives

The key objectives of ICMJ are to:
• expose students to the fundamentals of meat quality
• teach carcase specifications required in today’s market
• provide training and guidance for personal and professional development
• create opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in a practical setting
• raise awareness of career opportunities and create linkages with future employers
• expose students to the requirements of the consumer
• expose students to new technologies and capabilities within the meat industry
• educate students on Australia’s position within the global meat supply chain.

In addition to the above, the Northern ICMJ Conference also aims to:
• equip attendees with better knowledge and skills specific to northern beef production and associated meat quality and attributes
• highlight carcase characteristics of northern beef breeds and resulting meat quality
• raise awareness of career opportunities and create linkages with future employers across the northern beef supply chain
• provide an opportunity for ICMJ to better align with the objectives of institutions and businesses in the north, as well as reducing travel distances for students to attend.

Benefits to industry

Teys Australia and Central Queensland University (CQU) partnered with the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Association (ICMJ) to expand the footprint of the ICMJ program into the North and to widen the opportunities for development of young industry professionals via the delivery of the Northern ICMJ Conference and Workshop.

Across the life of the project, three annual conferences were held in Rockhampton, Queensland (2019, 2021 and 2022). The third conference (20–23 April 2022) concludes the P.PIP.0769 project which has left a legacy as the Northern Conference will continue to run and be delivered within the ICMJ Partnership Project contract from 2022–2026.

The conference program included a four-day conference involving industry presentations, networking events, professional development, an industry trade and careers expo, beef associated workshops and beef carcase assessment at the Teys Australia Rockhampton facility.

The conferences totaled 263 registrations attracting attendees from ICMJ’s traditional target audience of universities and Vocational Education & Training students and continued to open the Northern conference and competition up to young industry professionals. In 2022 the conference received strong interest from industry welcoming almost 40 attendees from a range of agribusinesses that form part of Australia’s northern beef industry including numerous pastoral companies.

The feedback provided by the participants through the evaluation processes indicated that the program had a very positive impact on the participants. The surveys provided great insights across the program including suggested improvements for 2023 and beyond.

MLA action

The success of this P.PIP. pilot project has ensured that the Northern ICMJ Conference continues as an annual event/activity, included within ICMJ's current funded contract, P.PSH.1370.