Excellence in Innovation Award
Excellence in Innovation Award - Beef CRC - Beef Genetic Technologies
 A ground-breaking new approach helping boost on-farm productivity and profitability involving beef producers, feedlotters and processors from across Australia has been given national recognition. The Beef CRC’s “Beef Profit Partnerships”, received the Cooperative Research Centre Association (CRCA) ‘Excellence in Innovation’ Award. Beef producer, Phil Chalmers, a Beef Profit Partnership participant accepted the award on behalf of Beef Profit Partnerships throughout Australia. Mr Chalmers anticipates his involvement in a Beef Profit Partnership will boost his on farm productivity by 20 percent and double his farm income. Beef Profit Partnerships or BPPs use an exciting ‘Improvement and Innovation’ approach called ‘Continuous Improvement and Innovation’, initially developed by Richard Clark and Janice Timms of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (QDPI&F). The process has been tailored to fast-track the uptake of new technology for the thousands of beef businesses across Australia and New Zealand. Forecast to improve beef business profits by at least five percent in just two years, Beef CRC Chief Executive Officer, Dr Heather Burrow said the award officially recognised the Beef CRC’s forward thinking in addressing the uptake of technology by beef industry end-users. “Over the past 14 years, the Beef CRC has put many runs on the board for ground-breaking science, but an even greater challenge than delivering world-leading technologies is to have those technologies used industry.” “With so many new beef technologies in the pipeline, we need to make sure industry is ready and willing to implement these technologies which we predict will dramatically change the way producers and suppliers do global business in the future,” Dr Burrow said. “With the help of extension staff from the State Departments of Primary Industries and Agriculture, along with Meat and Livestock Australia and Meat and Wool New Zealand, Beef CRC Beef Profit Partnerships will bridge the research-industry gap by bringing researchers and producers together.” Dr Burrow said. “BPPs consist of cattle producers, feedlotters and processors working with Beef CRC extension specialists using their own beef businesses to measure, monitor and evaluate current practices and set new goals and objectives to improve profitability.” “This approach will deliver clear communication up and down the beef supply chain, while at the same time improving business performance.” Dr Burrow said in order for Australia to compete against beef exporters around the globe we need to be innovative. “Brazil is a beef powerhouse. If we’re to compete with them, we need to be ahead of the pack. This requires efficient and effective use of technology and innovation.” ‘Beef Profit Partnerships’ have been established across Australia and consist of cattle producers, the major northern Australian pastoral companies, lot feeders and meat processors. Several groups have also been established in New Zealand. Dr Heather Burrow said BPPs are focused on outcomes such as profitability, productivity, sustainability and compliance with exacting market specifications, rather than on the technologies such as DNA markers, which is the more traditional approach to technology transfer. “Our approach focuses thinking and action to achieve higher returns on investment. Most importantly, it is specifically designed to be more rewarding than ‘business as usual,’ because it has the ability to change the face of industry,” Dr Burrow said. “As a result, the entire beef industry becomes more profitable, creative and innovative.” |
