Spring 2007

Forging a supply chain for innovation transfer

Fastracking new traits, new tools

Getting the messageout to industry

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Message from the CEOWelcome to the Spring edition of the Beef Bulletin.

In this edition of the CRC’s “Beef Bulletin” we focus on delivery of CRC technologies to industry end-users through:

R&D of new methods to achieve �uptake

Implementing new processes �to encourage adoption and improved profitability

Presentation of new results from �past CRC projects,

All of these offer significant new opportunities for beef producers throughout Australia.

Don’t forget, if you know of someone who would like to receive the Beef Bulletin, please contact the Beef CRC Headquarters on (02) 6773 3501 or email beefcrc@une.edu.au

For past editions of the Beef Bulletin visit www.beefcrc.com.au then click on the Publications tab.

Heather BurrowChief Executive Officer

ContentsForging a supply chain for innovation transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Profiting from better reproduction in the north . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Genetics and pre-feedlot growth important for eating quality . .6

Snapshot on Awareness Activities for 2007/2008 . . . . . . . . . . .8

Selection for muscling increases supply chain profit . . . . . . . .10

Fastracking new traits, new tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

BPPs boosting profits each year, every year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Science for Quality Beef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Beef CRC Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

National Beef Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

©2007 Cooperative Research Centre for Beef Genetic Technologies. This book is copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Commonwealth), no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process, electronic or otherwise, without the specific written permission of the copyright owner. Neither may information be stored electronically in any form whatsoever without such permission. Enquiries should be addressed to:

Beef CRCCJ Hawkins Homestead

University of New EnglandARMIDALE NSW 2351

AUSTRALIAbeefcrc@une.edu.au

Disclaimer: Any information provided in this book is intended as source of information only and is no advice, endorsement or recommendation.

changing consumer demand or climatic extremes.

“From a business point of view, a good supply chain is a means of maintaining a competitive advantage,” Ms Moreland said.

“We are a global exporter, for instance, but other countries produce larger volumes of beef. At the moment we are benefiting from the disease misfortunes of other countries. But that situation won’t last forever. We need to be proactive in maintaining our advantage, not just react to opportunity.”

Her research has Ms Moreland digging into the main technical innovations developed in the beef industry over the past two decades.

She is examining whether there were any special characteristics of these developments that affected their adoption, the processes used to encourage awareness, and how successfully the innovations were accepted and adopted within the industry.

The second part of the project will involve a comparative case study of three existing beef supply chains. Ms Moreland will look at whether membership of a chain encourages producers to more readily adopt innovation, how chain

Can beef supply chains be the conduit for the sort of innovation developed by the

Beef CRC?

It’s a question being addressed by Beef CRC-sponsored PhD student, Hayley Moreland, at the University of Queensland. Ms Moreland is investigating whether existing supply chains foster innovation, and if there is an ideal supply chain model that can promote profitability and innovation.

Ms Moreland is focusing on “aligned” supply chains - those where the segments of the chain are strongly linked by information flows and logistics, rather than the more traditional loose supply chain where separate firms agree to conduct business with each other.

Her research will focus on the feedback mechanisms that allow innovation in one part of the chain to be acted on by other parts of the chain.

“I want to get the perceptions of beef producers and processors, and ask them how information is transferred up and down the chain,” Ms Moreland said.

“At the moment a lot of producers get some form of feedback from processors, but it’s not very explicit. A lot of the time it is little more than discounts for not meeting grid specifications.”

“The model I am developing uses examples from the food and manufacturing sectors. The beef industry is moving in the direction of these industrialised sectors and therefore using them as representatives of successful aligned supply chains will provide insights for the beef industry. She said the advantage of working in a strongly cohesive supply chain, where signals are promptly transmitted up and down the line, is that all parties can respond more readily to changes at either end of the chain - for instance,

structure influences innovation adoption, and to see whether the perceptions of the research and advisory community match the reality occurring within each chain.

From her research, Ms Moreland will develop a model of an “ideal” beef supply chain that is able to achieve sustainable competitive advantage through innovation. This research will also provide lessons that may assist research, development and extension agencies improve the adoption of technical innovations by producers in the Australian beef industry.

It will also serve as a useful guide for those looking to set up new supply chains, and who need an overview of successful strategies.

for innovation transferForging a supply chain

Do existing supply chains foster innovation and is there an ideal supply chain model that can promote profitability and innovation?

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Profiting from better

Ultimately, the aim is to have all the heritabilities and genetic relationships incorporated into BREEDPLAN.

The secrets of cow reproduction are being investigated by Beef CRC

researchers, with the aim of bringing the power of genetic selection to bear on one of the major profit drivers in northern Australia’s beef industry.

Reproduction rate is a trait with low heritability. But research in Beef CRC Program 4: Female Reproductive Performance is looking to identify more heritable genetic attributes that collectively underpin “lifetime reproductive performance”, or the number of calves a cow can wean over six years.

Dr. Kishore Prayaga, senior research scientist, CSIRO Livestock Industries, said there is a strong argument that reproductive rate underpins the profitability of key northern beef enterprises, including the feedlot and live export sectors which depend on cattle numbers.

The Beef CRC has identified potential annual profitability improvements

of $46.5 million from 2012 if the research is effective in delivering increased reproductive performance to northern beef producers.

The north, with 12.5 million head of cattle, represents 57 per cent of the Australian beef industry.

Northern Australia’s cattle industry has reproductive losses of between

5-10 percent in cows and 15-20 percent in heifers from pregnancy testing to weaning.

Reproductive losses are often connected with management - factors being investigated in Meat and Livestock Australia’s four-year Northern Australian Beef Fertility Project. But the Beef CRC Female Reproductive Performance program

is looking at how genetic solutions might be brought to bear both on calf losses and conception rates.

Program 4 Manager, Jim Walkley, said the Beef CRC project has been built on top of the comprehensive data already collected by Beef CRC scientists on research herds in the north.

About 1900 cows at four research stations across Queensland, representing lines from generations already intensively recorded in Beef CRC II, are being assessed for mating and calving information, continuous measurement of body

weight changes, teat and udder scores; measures of adaptability like resistance to parasites, heat and drought; and regularity of cycling.

Dr Pragaya said the reproductive assessments - made every 4-5 weeks - would allow researchers to determine factors like days to cycling after calving, days to pregnancy after calving and days to calving after mating.

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reproduction in the north“The focus is primarily to understand the genetics of new traits and their relationships with all other traits measured, like age at puberty, age at first calving and calving history,” Dr Prayaga said.

Mr Walkley said other profitability issues, like growth rate and tropical adaptation, were recorded in Beef CRC II. But missing information related to lifetime reproductive performance will complete the picture.

“The information we accumulate in this new project will overlay the records we’ve already collected on these same females or their relatives, so we can associate lifetime reproduction traits with other production traits and uncover any linkages.”

“Ultimately, the aim is to have all the heritabilities and genetic relationships incorporated in BREEDPLAN, so cattle producers have a solid basis on which to base selection for reproduction along with other economically important traits like growth, adaptation and carcase quality.”

“As well, the project will provide an invaluable resource for discovery and validation of DNA markers associated with reproductive performance and adaptability to tropical environments,” he said.

The project will provide an invaluable resource for discovery and validation of DNA markers

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Results emerging from a major project in CRC II have demonstrated substantial

differences in the eating quality of beef produced in commercial production systems. Significant improvement is possible by selection for marbling genetics and by growing cattle faster before they enter the feedlot.

The information supports expected moves by processors to lower market age limits and to refine the range of breed types acceptable for their high quality markets.

The CRC “Regional Combinations” experiments, linked across four states, included combinations of European and British breed types, Angus sires selected for marbling or yield or both, and fast or slow backgrounding growth rates. Cattle were finished on pasture or grain to meet various main-stream local market specifications.

Project leader Bill McKiernan of NSW Department of Primary Industries on behalf of the principle investigator, Dr John Wilkins and the Beef CRC, released the meat quality results from

the NSW section of the experiment last month at a “Livestock Updates” seminar in WA.

The NSW experiment included “high yielding types” (Charolais and Limousin), “high marbling types” (Black and Red Wagyu), and three groups of Angus sires selected for high yield, high marbling or both. All sire lines were joined by AI to Hereford cows over three years.

In a novel design, calves were born in autumn and spring, each drop being 6 months apart. After weaning, the animals were grown either fast (0.7kg/day) or slow (0.5kg/day) , and the design enabled the faster group to enter the feedlot at the same weight, and be carried through to slaughter in the same group as the slower grown calves from the previous drop.

All cattle were finished at Cargill’s Jindalee feedlot for 100 days before slaughter and evaluation of carcase and meat quality.

A wide range of breeds and ages of animals are used commercially in the industry for domestic food

service markets similar to these. This experiment has been particularly important because effects on eating quality have not been measured previously in such fine detail.

Growth rateThere was a definite tendency for consumer taste panels to detect better palatability in the beef produced by cattle backgrounded at the faster growth rate. This was associated with higher levels of intramuscular fat, as detected in the chemical (laboratory) analyses, although the visually-assessed (chiller) marbling scores were similar.

The faster growth group produced finished carcases that were slightly fatter and had slightly better muscling, but showed no difference in the proportion of saleable meat yield.

The effects of the high and low backgrounding growth rates were evident in carcase and meat quality, even though the fast- and slow-growth cattle were all finished and slaughtered together.

... there was a clear association between consumer eating quality scores, intramuscular fat and marbling scores.

GenotypesThe high-yielding genotypes produced beef of slightly lower eating quality but the vast majority were still highly acceptable. There is an opportunity to target these animals with specific management to improve their palatability, as they have very significant advantages in growth rate and carcase yield.

Within the Angus types, there was an advantage in eating quality to the high IMF% sire group, confirming that sire selection for higher IMF% using EBVs can be used to improve palatability, even when the bulls are joined to another breed (in this case Hereford).

The results from this study also confirm that it is possible to select for both yield and marbling in Angus at the same time, and achieve high levels in both traits in the progeny. This is an important demonstration as these are often regarded as antagonistic aims.

Eating quality measurementsThroughout the analysis there was a clear association between consumer eating quality scores, intramuscular fat (IMF%) and marbling scores. Laboratory measurement of shear force (tenderness) also agreed well with the consumer assessments of palatability.

ImplicationsFor the growing number of markets for beef with high eating quality, processors are likely to become more particular about age limits for cattle. This will mean producers will need to grow their animals faster to meet specifications.

The experiment highlighted large biological differences in maturity across the range of genotypes. The high-yielding European crosses were faster growing and had the capacity to enter the feedlot at considerably younger ages than their British breed equivalents.

If European crosses enter the feedlot younger, flowing on to a younger age at slaughter, this would help offset any tendency for lower eating quality while still allowing them to express their potential for higher carcase yield.

There is a significant opportunity for producers to use EBVs to improve both yield and marbling, even though these traits are antagonistic. It is expected that both these traits will be more specifically rewarded by payment systems in the future.

Further analysis of the data will reveal effects on feedlot growth rate, carcase yield and ability to meet specifications, each playing a vital part of the overall profitability. The full results are being prepared for release across southern Australia in early 2008.

important for eating quality

Growth Sire Carcase TypeTrait Slow Fast High RBY High RBY

& IMFHigh IMF

MSA AUS marble score

1.36 1.39 1.2a 1.5b 1.6b

IMF% 3.61a 4.15b 3.22a 4.18b 4.66c

Shear force (kg) 4.08 4.16 4.18 4.29 3.82

Actual consumer CMQ4 score

53.2 55.4 52.9d 52.4d 58.5e

% samples failing MSA 3 Star

28 28 34 30 19*

Table 1. Effects of growth rate and of sire carcase “type” on meat quality and palatability traits

a, b, c Within Growth or Sire Carcase Type, numbers with different superscripts are statistically different (P<0.001)

d, e Within Sire Carcase Type, numbers with different superscripts are statistiically different (P<0.05)

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Selection for muscling

Increased muscling in cattle can be achieved through genetic selection using estimated

breeding values and gene markers for muscling, ultimately increasing retail beef yield (RBY). RBY drives the profit of processing plants. Thus beef CRC researchers believe farmers could soon be rewarded for producing higher muscled cattle that demonstrate superior performance in the boning room.

Peter McGilchrist, a PhD student at Murdoch University in Western Australia, has been working under Beef CRC sponsorship with a small herd of 24 Angus steers bred by NSW Department of Primary Industries at Glen Innes. The herd was designed specifically to showcase a range of muscling, from very low to very high, with a portion of the high muscling group also carrying a variant of the myostatin gene.

Mr McGilchrist explained that in cattle, the natural growth factor

called myostatin slows down muscle growth as animals mature. Thus, cattle with a variant myostatin gene continue growing more muscle resulting in a higher percentage of retail beef yield.

With slaughter data now available from Mr McGilchrist’s project, the cattle with the variant of the myostatin gene produced an average 5.4 per cent higher RBY than the herd’s low muscled treatment group (67.6 and

62.4 per cent saleable meat yields respectively). The high-muscled treatment group also out-performed the low muscled treatment group by 2.7 per cent with an average RBY of 65.1 per cent.

High levels of muscling in cattle have long been associated in the beef

industry with a serious reduction in marbling. Mr McGilchrist noted that in this small herd, there was no difference in the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) marbling scores between any of the treatment groups. Marbling is an important parameter describing differences in eating quality between carcasses.

“These cattle all met domestic specifications and given that marbling was not affected there

was no other apparent loss in meat quality,” Mr McGilchrist said. “However If they were lotfed for 300 days to meet the Jap Ox market, it is likely that the high muscled cattle wouldn’t marble to the

same extent. But as it stands, the data suggests there is value for processors to bone out high muscled cattle for the domestic market because they gain higher yields leading to increased profits with no loss in quality, as also found in previous research in NSW. This means there should be opportunity for processors

A small herd of 24 Angus steers was designed specifically to showcase a range of muscling, from very low to very high ...

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increases supply chain profit

to reward producers financially for selecting for muscling, particularly if processing plants start adopting technologies to measure RBY,” he said.

Low-muscled cattle showed more external fat cover at the P8 rump site than high- and double-muscled cattle, aligning well with the reduced RBY in these animals. “Because they are producing more external fat, they may be partitioning fewer nutrients towards meat production.”

One of the problems suggested by industry is that selection for muscling may contribute to “dark cutting”. Dark cutting stems from low levels of muscle energy (glycogen) at slaughter, often due to pre-slaughter stress. Mr McGilchrist is pursuing this issue, and one of his early results suggests quite the opposite. “I have been measuring the insulin sensitivity of the cattle because this hormone is vital for storing higher amounts of muscle glycogen” said Mr McGilchrist. “I was intrigued to find that it was actually the high muscled cattle that were more

sensitive to insulin, possibly allowing for higher levels of glycogen storage in these animals. However this is only half of the story, as we are yet to analyse the data for the response to adrenaline, which is vital because it indicates stress sensitivity. Greater stress sensitivity will cause more rapid mobilisation of stored muscle glycogen, increasing the chances of dark cutting,” he said.

Mr McGilchrist is continuing to mine the data for other vital physiological differences between high and low muscled cattle, providing a better understanding of the mechanisms that increase RBY. “This is important,” Mr McGilchrist said, “because some of these effects may be detrimental. For example, high-muscled cattle may have less iron in their meat, an essential mineral for human health and an important reason why consumers eat red meat. If we can predict these potential problems early, then we can find solutions while genetic progress is being made”.

One of the problems suggested by industry is that selection for muscling may contribute to ‘dark cutting’ ... early results suggests quite the opposite!

new toolsFastracking new traits,

“including Net Feed Intake, or how efficiently animals use food; and tick resistance and female reproductive performance, two traits of particular significance to the northern cattle industry.”

New tools have revolutionised molecular genetics in the past few years. Using microarrays, researchers can now assess 50,000 markers from the bovine genome in a single procedure, a far cry from the early days of the Beef CRC when discovering a single gene marker was a painstaking exercise taking months.

Microarray technology is advancing at a very rapid pace. Researchers of the human genome have the tools to assess 500,000 gene markers at once - a likely forecast of the near future for researchers of the bovine genome.

“It means that we won’t just be working with a handful of traits,” Dr Reverter said. “In the future, any producer will be able to name 10 traits of interest and have the tools to rapidly assess their presence or absence in his or her cattle.”

Most production traits involve a large number of interacting genes, an issue which has made researchers

Molecular genetics is shedding new light on areas of genetic selection

not currently available to the Estimated Breeding Value (EBV) system, opening up the possibility that new and more accurate selection values will become available to cattle breeders.

“We ultimately hope that the genes we are discovering through new gene marker technology will greatly improve the accuracy of genetic prediction, particularly for traits that are hard to measure, are not very heritable, or (like marbling and tenderness) can only be assessed after the animal is slaughtered,” said Dr Toni Reverter, principal research scientist with CSIRO Livestock Industries and the Beef CRC’s Underpinning Science program.

“Using the tools already available through molecular genetics programs based on other species - including humans - beef producers will be able to assess these traits early in an animal’s life, when future breeding decisions can be made”, he said.

“Other important but previously elusive traits are also being investigated using molecular genetics”, Dr Reverter said,

hesitant about the accuracy of predictions when only a few markers are present.

But Dr Reverter said that recent research has shown that fewer than 50 markers may provide very acceptable levels of accuracy around the associations between the markers and an animal’s performance.

The new molecular techniques for marker discovery make the discovery of 50 markers much more feasible than in the past, further accelerating the process of bringing new genetic tools to producers.

Molecular genetics takes a different path to the existing system of EBVs, opening up the question of whether a new description system is required.

But Dr Reverter said that through the “Smartgene Project” the new information is being made to interface with BREEDPLAN, so that producers can enjoy the benefits of more traits delivered with more accuracy, but delivered in a language they already understand.

“One of our aims is not to make the use of this technology too difficult for end users, otherwise the tools will not be adopted by industry,” Dr Reverter said.

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BPPs boosting profits each year, every year

The key difference in the adoption approach being implemented by the Beef CRC compared to previous approaches is a focus on rapid and continuous improvement and innovation, instead of simply relying on broad communication and awareness activities. There is also a clear focus on building capacity within the beef industry to develop a partnership network, and on providing the tools that allow partners to measure where they are now and to monitor improvements in their business performance over time. The partners determine their own focus, targets and high impact actions, but are expected to share and promote successful methods, tools and technology across the network and the broader industry.

The establishment of a culture of innovation across the Beef Profit Partnership network will contribute

The CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies has initiated a network of Beef Profit

Partnerships involving beef businesses and value chains to accelerate the adoption of the outcomes of the Beef CRC and, in doing so, lift business profit and promote industry growth.

Three key outcomes will be sought through this program:

1. Rapid and measurable improvements among partners in productivity, profit and business growth;

2. A supportive network of rewarding partnerships, contributing to accelerated industry growth; and,

3. Partners equipped to achieve sustainable improvement and innovation.

to the development of an industry environment that will accelerate the transformation and integration of CRC derived genetics technology into beef businesses as well as enhancing the adoption of other relevant technology. An important objective of the project is to build the necessary social capital for the Beef Profit Partnership network to become self-sustaining and to continue to contribute to industry innovation and improvement beyond the life of the Beef CRC.

S c i e n c e f o rquality beef

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S c i e n c e f o rquality beef

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“Science for Quality Beef” is the second booklet for the beef industry from the Beef Cooperative Research Centre, following “Producing Quality Beef” (2003 and 2004 editions). The purpose of these books is to identify the opportunities for beef producers to profit from research carried out since the establishment of the first Beef CRC (1993-2000).

This booklet features selected research highlights mainly from the second Beef CRC (CRC II, 1999-2006). It is in three sections:

“Messages for producers” includes stories that reflect on what has been learned �about producing quality beef and how producers can take advantage of the opportunities on farm.

“Advances in meat quality” explains some recent discoveries about the factors �affecting carcase and meat quality along with their commercial implications.

“Work in progress” contains some brief information about current research in �the new CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies (CRC III, 2005-2012) and where it is taking us.

CRC III has a vastly increased commitment to the implementation of new technologies that are emerging quickly from research. To support this, we are constantly adding information to the Beef CRC’s web site (www.beefcrc.com.au) and the Livestock Library (www.livestocklibrary.com.au).

Articles include:

The modern feeder cattle supplier �Hung up on BREEDPLAN? �Private Selection a winner for Nolans Meats �The value of muscling and yield �Visual selection for muscling in a breeding herd �Applying measures of temperament to cattle �Moving towards a polled future for Australia’s �national herd

To ensure you don’t miss out on your copy, please contact Cynthia Mulholland on 02 6773 3525 or at Cynthia.Mulholland@une.edu.au

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Want the latestbeef research?

If you would like to know more about the Beef CRC, why not join our mailing list? We have a range of publications available outlining past and current research.

Science for Quality BeefIf you produce beef, this booklet has been written for you. Whether you are a seedstock breeder, commercial breeder, backgrounder, finisher, processor or chef, you have an influence on the consumer’s eating experience.

Australian Beef - the Leader! Conference ProceedingsIn 2006 over 200 delegates attended the Beef CRC conference where the results of two phases of Beef CRC research was showcased. Papers included in these Proceedings are from well-respected overseas speakers as well as leading Australian scientists in the fields of quantitative genetics, molecular genetics, meat science and management and nutrition.

Genetics CD and Nutrition, Meat Science & Health CDThis two CD pack is a summary of GENETICS findings of the Beef CRC as well as a summary of nutrition, meat science and health & welfare outcomes. The CDs contains a variety of documents, from simple summaries, to scientific papers and slides.

Beef BulletinThe Beef Bulletin is a glossy feature magazine filled with the latest Beef CRC news and research developments. The Beef Bulletin puts the spotlight on how the latest research is being adopted by industry and features some of the Australian beef industry’s biggest players. The Beef Bulletin is also home to the beef industry’s most comprehensive events calendar.

Regular Research UpdatesAs Australia’s largest integrated beef research project, the Beef CRC has a wealth of information which is released on an ongoing basis. From research updates, to latest the in genetic and management technologies. Make sure you’re kept in the loop!

Achievements of the Beef CRC: A platform for the next 10 yearsThis booklet tells you everything you need to know about the groundbreaking research undertaken by the Beef CRC since it was established in 1993. The booklet summarises the Beef CRC’s major achievements and presents an overview of the latest Beef CRC which is focused on gene discovery and gene expression by simply explaining how

genomics research will influence cattle breeding and management practices over the next 10 years.

Key Messages for Commercial Breeders in Southern AustraliaA simple dot point summary of the main messages from Beef CRC research for commercial beef producers in southern Australia.

Beef CRC Fact SheetsA range of Fact Sheets are available on line at www.beefcrc.com.au.

Livestock LibraryAn online library for beef and sheep industry pucliciation at www.livestocklibrary.com.au

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SOLD OUT!

of EventsCalendarOCTOBER 1-3 . . . . . .Brahman Week, Gracemere, Qld 3-5 . . . . . .Elmore Field Days, Elmore, Vic3-10 . . . . .Grazing for Profit School, Geraldton, WA6-7 . . . . . .Pro-Ag Field Days, Macksville, NSW9-11 . . . . .Nutrition Workshop, Bowen / Collinsville, Qld12-13 . . . .Wandin Silvan Field Days, Wandin East, Vic13-14 . . . .Murrumbateman Field Days, Murrumbateman, NSW 16-18 . . . .Australian National Field Days, Orange, NSW22-25 . . . .Applied Grazing Course, Roma, Qld22-25 . . . .Grazing Land Management Workshop, Richmond / Julia

Creek / Hughenden, Qld23-25 . . . .Breeding EDGE Workshop, Ayr / Charters Towers, Qld24-27 . . . .Royal Hobart Show, Hobart, Tas26 . . . . . . .Feeding for Profit, Roma, Qld28-29 . . . .Bega Field Days, Bega, NSW29-6 . . . . .Royal Perth Show, Perth, WA30-1 Nov .Grazing Land Management Workshop, Mackay /

Whitsundays, Qld31 . . . . . . .LiveCorp AGM, Melbourne, Vic

NOVEMBER2 . . . . . . . .Hereford/Poll Hereford Group Breedplan cut-off3 . . . . . . . .Windellama Field Days, Tarago, NSW7-9 . . . . . .Grazing Land Management Workshop, Charters Towers, Qld9 . . . . . . . .Angus Group Breedplan cut-off9-10 . . . . .Farming Small Areas, Hawkesbury, NSW13-15 . . . .Breeding EDGE Workshop, Mareeba, Qld16 . . . . . . .Murray Grey Group Breedplan cut-off21-28 . . . .Grazing for Profit School, Townsville, Qld22 . . . . . . .Meat and Livestock Australia AGM, Rockhampton, Qld23 . . . . . . .Beef CRC AGM, Brisbane23 . . . . . . .Beef CRC Forum, Brisbane30 . . . . . . .Limousin Group Breedplan cut-offTBC . . . . .Cattle Council of Australia AGM, Qld

DECEMBER7, . . . . . . .Shorthorn Group Breedplan cut-off14, . . . . . .Angus Argentino Group Breedplan cut-off

If you would like your event listed here, please contact the Beef CRC on 02 6773 3501 or

email the details of your event to beefcrc@une.edu.au

www.beefcrc.com.au