BeefEx 2024 Conference Program
From AI and futuristic thinking to hearing from the latest in feedlot tech, BeefEx 2024 program has something for everyone.
Tuesday 15th
Arrive in sunny Brisbane
3.00pm - 5.00pm
Newcomers Welcome & ALFA Alumni
Meet, greet and network – Invite Only
New to BeefEx? Expect to see an invite pop into your inbox to join ALFA and the Alumni network as we welcome you into the grain fed beef community. Meet an experienced group of BeefEx goers that are eager to impart their top tips to make the experience a memorable one!
Dress code: Smart Casual
5.00pm - 7.00pm
Welcome Function
Kick off your BeefEx experience in the plaza, rubbing shoulders with the big names in beef. Enjoy the company of friends and colleagues as you catch up ahead of the program opener the following morning. This is a casual event with a selection of drinks and finger food available.
Venue: The RNA Plaza
Dress code: Smart casual
Proudly sponsored by Performance Feeds
BeefEx DAY 1
Wednesday 16th
6.00am
BeefEx Bootcamp - Proudly sponsored by Energro
Are you Feedlot Fit? Join resident bootcamp commando’s Barb Madden & Bryce Camm who will run you through your paces and get you ready and raring for program kick off later in the morning.
Venue: Meet on the steps of the RNA oval entrance for 45 minutes of fun and raised heart rates!
7.30am
Trade Hall Opens
Enter the biggest BeefEx trade hall on record that has everything from animal inputs, your favourite apparel, and even a meet-the-butcher emporium, thanks to Queensland's own Super Butcher.
Venue: Hall A&B
9.00am
Opening Speech
Prepare for the unprecedented with the official opening, as ALFA President Barb Madden welcomes delegates to BeefEx 2024.
Venue: Plenary Conference – Hall C
9.15am
Meet our MC: Peter Van Onselen
'PVO' as he’s affectionately known in media circles, is an Australian academic, author and political commentator. Peter has hosted several programs on Sky News, and previously co-hosted Channel 10's The Project.
Session 1: Bringing a Northern Hemisphere view to BeefEx
Venue: Plenary Conference Hall C
9.20am
On being bold
Respected European political scientist and commentator, Professor Ralph Schoellhammer comes to BeefEx with a wealth of experience from Europe. He says Australia can draw on lessons from the EU and wants agriculture to be bold and innovative. Exploring energy, mining and agriculture, he will make the case for a commonsense approach required to navigate our future.
9.55am
Managing Market Mania
US intensive animal industries consultant Joe Kerns provides insights into US commodity markets and supply chains through to operational sustainability, leadership and ownership of the things that matter. We ask Joe to share what this might mean for our future and how is could impact us.
10.30am
Q&A
10.45am
Morning tea break
Venue: Hall A&B
Session 2: Welfare and energy: Handling consumer expectation
Venue: Plenary Conference Hall C
11.30am
Global expectations shaping beef production
Australia exports more than 60% of the beef we raise, which means our market access is increasingly influenced by evolving social expectations for animal welfare in the US, EU and other markets as global companies modify their policies to align with consumer expectations. Today, an online influencer may have more social credibility on animal welfare than leading scientists or lot feeders. Charlie Arnot, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity, explains how global expectations for animal welfare are shaping production practices in Australia and how we can help protect our freedom to operate.
12.10pm
Striking the community balance
The stand-off between renewable energy infrastructure and food production has well been documented. Until recently, this battle has had the benefit of an independent lens courtesy of (now) retired energy infrastructure commissioner Professor Andrew Dyer. His 2023 review into community engagement illustrated the extent of the tension. We ask Andrew to draw on his experiences to counsel the grain fed beef industry about what it means to undertake community engagement in an effort to shift the needle of public sentiment.
12.30pm
Q&A
12.55pm
Lunch: Proudly sponsored by Zoetis
Venue: Hall A&B
Session 3: Leadership & People
Venue: Plenary Conference Hall C
1.50pm
The ALFA Excellence in Feedlot Education Medal
The Australian feedlot industry proudly supports a dynamic, engaged, and skilled workforce. Affectionately known as 'The Medal’, this award recognises individuals who are actively investing in their professional growth through further education. Join us as we congratulate the winner of this year’s medal on stage.
Proudly sponsored by Zoetis
2.00pm
Leading through a crisis
Saving the lives of more than 460 passengers on an extensively damaged aircraft earned Richard de Crespigny, a Qantas A380 captain, worldwide commendation. We ask Richard to share his story of leadership, teamwork and problem solving under immense pressure so that we might take lessons of how these techniques apply in the feedlot.
Richard is brought to BeefEx courtesy of Lallemand Animal Nutrition
2.45pm
Keeping safe when the pressure is on
We move from the air to the ground and ask farm health and safety expert Alex Thomas to look at how to uphold safety standards in the workplace.
3.15pm
The ALFA Young Lot Feeder of the Year Award
Join us as we celebrate the emerging talent in our industry with the Young Lot Feeder of the Year Award. This prestigious accolade recognises outstanding young professionals who have demonstrated they can think outside the square, be bold in their ideas, and continuously develop and challenge their thinking about the Australian lot feeding industry and its future potential. Meet the top three finalists ahead of the winner announcement later this evening.
Proudly sponsored by Performance Feeds
3.30pm
Break
4.10pm
The ALFA Communicate your Research Competition
Unleashing innovation and scientific excellence, this competition empowers students to bring their cutting-edge research in intensive animal and veterinary science disciplines, sparking new ideas and advancements within the feedlot sector. Delegates will hear from the finalists through a clever Q&A anchored by renown feedlot veterinarian, Melissa George, that will leave you in awe of what’s coming next in the feedlot R&D space.
Proudly sponsored by Bovine Dynamics
5.00pm
Day 1 Close
Gala Dinner: Proudly sponsored by MSD Animal Health
Step back into the roaring 1920s and join us for an unforgettable evening at this year’s Gatsby-inspired MSD Animal Health BeefEx Gala Dinner! Immerse yourself in the glitz and glamour as we celebrate all things grain fed beef at this night of nights. Get ready for a night filled with elegance, excitement, and timeless sophistication.
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Venue: Hall C
Dress code: Cocktail
6.30pm
Pre Dinner Drinks
7.30pm
Gala Dinner
Including awards, special announcements and, the auction of the BeefEx Charity Bell, with all proceeds going to LifeFlight.
The Official BeefEx After Party: Proudly sponsored by Roto-Mix
11.00pm
Kick on at the official ‘Roto-Mixer’ After Party once the last drinks are poured at the Gala Dinner.
BeefEx DAY 2
Thursday 17th
BeefEx Bootcamp - Proudly sponsored by Energro
Join resident bootcamp commando’s Barb & Bryce for round 2 of bootcamp to get energised for another jam-pack day of talks and networking.
Venue: Gather on the steps of the RNA oval entrance and expect 45 minutes of fun and raised heart rates.
6.00am
8.00am
Trade Hall Opens
Get around to those you missed on day 1
Venue: Hall A&B
Session 1: Industry Issues
Venue: Plenary Conference Hall C
9.00am
Opening Address
We’ve invited Senator Murray Watt, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, to talk about policies that matter to feed lots of the future.
Minister invited, pending confirmation.
9.20am
Industry Issues
We invite a series of industry experts to provide a snapshot of our progress on advancing matters relating to carbon, environmental credentials, water and animal ethics. The team includes:
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MLA Project Manager- Feedlot & Sustainability, Matt Van der Saag
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NAPCO General Manager Darryl Savage
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NSW Irrigators’ CEO Claire Miller
10.00am
Panel Discussion:
We invite our “Industry Issues” speaking team to join a panel discussion, led by MC Peter van Onselen.
10.30am
Morning tea break
Session 2: Getting the most out of our people
Venue: Plenary Conference Hall C
11.00am
The Impact of AI on our work and workforce selection
Futurist Nick Abrahams specialises in the practise of organisational digital adoption- and is at the forefront of real-world application of AI technologies. We ask Nick to take a look at our sector and speculate how AI will change the way we manage and retain our future people.
11.30pm
Picking the right people for your business
There are many similarities between the coach and their players, and the feedlot manager and their team. So let’s learn from the perspectives of one of the best in the business whose goal is to select the right team of people for the job – Queensland Rugby League CEO, Ben Ikin.
12.00pm
Our people, our future
Following on from Ben’s insights on people management, we turn to the feedlot to see how recruitment and teamwork play-out in practice.
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Stockyard: Stockyard’s CEO, Lisa Sharp shares their innovative ‘Manager as Coach’ program where the business flips its approach to leadership training on its head, taking lessons from high-performance sports coaching methods to help achieve its business and team development goals.
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Rigney Rural: Former journalist turned lot feeder Sally Rigney is reinventing feedlot communications to not only optimise performance - for their annual NFAS audit – but to ensure everyone one the team ‘has your back’. This is her story.
12.30pm
ALFA Community Heroes Award
Join us in celebrating the unsung champions of the Australian feedlot industry with the Community Heroes Award. This honour recognises businesses who have made significant social and environmental contributions to their local communities and the industry. Today, we applaud their dedication, selflessness, and impact.
Proudly sponsored by Lallemand Animal Nutrition
12.40pm
ALFA Communicate your Research competition - Winner announcement
The Communicate Your Research Competition is designed to promote excellence and scientific professionalism for the advancement of communication between tertiary institutions and the Australian cattle feedlot industry. ​
Proudly sponsored by Bovine Dynamics
12.45pm
Lunch
Proudly sponsored by Laird Manufacturing
Session 3: Breakout Sessions
Stream 1
Consumer Sentiment
Venue: Hall C
1.45pm
Can we shift consumer sentiment? Pollinate research CEO Howard Parry-Husbands shares their findings – including commentary on how we might combat what the National dietary guidelines say.
2.30pm
Customer power
What is really driving the consumer behaviour? Is ‘sustainability’ really changing the purchase choice of the majority? Let’s ask a chef with 40 years experience – Gary Johnson
3.00pm
Butcher shop conversations
Joel Giacomantonio from Super Butcher shares his insights about the customer conversations and grain fed beef trends he is seeing throughout the Super Butcher enterprise.
Stream 2
MLA R&D Snapshot
Venue: Rooms 1 & 2
1.45pm
Reducing emissions of backgrounded cattle
Discover what the science says about combining Bovaer®10 with supplementation to reduce methane and increase productivity – with Dr Sarah Meale, University of Queensland
2.10pm
The latest data on enteric methane emissions of feedlot cattle
With Dr Fran Cowley, UNE
2.35pm
The findings of the partial feedlot covering research and what this means for industry – with Dr Melissa George, Bovine Dynamics
3.00pm
Automation of Induction - The outcomes of a demonstration pilot
Have you ever wondered in low labour situations how you could induct cattle easier? Te Pari, Teys Charlton and the University of Melbourne combine to tell us how the auto induction unit performed, including auto-catch and auto-backlining, along with discussion around labour and animal welfare implications.
3.30pm
Break
Session 4: Plenary reconvene
Venue: Plenary Conference Hall C
4.15pm
Please Explain: An Animated Journey into the Lot Feeding Industry
Have you seen the satirical Pauline Hanson "Please Explain" YouTube show featuring the wonderfully creative and humorous political explainer animations? Get ready for a similar wild ride at BeefEx, as we've commissioned Mark Nicholson, co-founder of Stepmates animation studio, to apply his wit and unique perspective through to the lot feeding industry.
Mark, a former lawyer and humourist from Fitzroy, had never been to a feedlot until just before BeefEx. He has animated his introduction to the grainfed beef industry, sharing what he learned along the way. Not afraid to take the micky out of himself or those he animates, Mark's session promises to leave us with smiles on our faces and newfound knowledge. Strap into your seats, let’s take a ride outside our own perspective.
4.45pm
Closing
Farewell Function: Proudly sponsored by GrainCorp
Venue: Stockman's Rest
Our final chance to connect with new friends, peers and colleagues as we celebrate one last time before we depart.
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Venue: Stockman's Rest
Dress code: Smart Casual
6.00pm
Back by popular demand, the Bucking Bull will be front and centre of the evenings entertainment – so come dressed to contest for Best Bucking Bull Rider of BeefEx!
Please note: Program is subject to change without notice