Campbell’s global dream

Mr Ross's passion for agriculture started when he was kid working with his father in a family feedlot and wholesale meat business in Gippsland, buying stock at sales and helping with their feeding programs before he even reached high school.

"I've been involved in agriculture my whole life – I always knew I wanted to do what I do," Mr Ross said.

He began his agricultural science studies in Melbourne before completing his degree at Wagga Wagga, NSW.

His career started in 2008 when he snagged a job with Thomas Foods International (formerly known as T&R Pastoral) as a trainee livestock buyer before moving up to become a sheep and lamb buyer.

"Working with Dad as a kid, he let me make mistakes and encouraged me when I was young," he said.

"It helped a hell of a lot because I made mistakes early and learnt so much."

In 2012 he joined the LGE team.

Shortly after, his experience and ability to assess stock saw him spearhead the beef cattle procurement part of the business.

"I like being in a different place every day – there is no such thing as an average week," he said.

"I go all over the country dealing with different characters.

"Sometimes I am in Queensland buying cattle and other times I might be entertaining Russian clients.

"One of the stranger things is making sure the customers are happy when they come to view the stock they are buying – they have some interesting preferences at times."

His responsibilities include selecting stock for major international clients including Russia and China and overseeing the delivery of consignments to quarantine farms.

"The right numbers need to arrive at the right time within the right weights – it is very rigid in terms of weight ranges and consistent quality," he said.

"When the customer comes out to meet the stock I take them through selection and they look at all the cattle individually so I need to make sure they are happy.

"Clients are quite specific in what they are after so if there is anything outside of those specifications they won't take it."

While his busiest time meeting export orders was spring, Mr Ross said he remained in the game at sales, assessing stock and price fluctuations to ensure he constantly understood the market climate.

"I always keep an eye on the market and the cattle so I know what is happening," he said.

A business trip to Bryansk, Russia, in 2013 was a rewarding experience for Mr Ross, who had to facilitate the delivery of 15,000 Angus heifers.

"I was in a country where most people don't speak English and we had to communicate with farm managers and truck drivers through an interpreter," he said.

"Most people had very little experience with cattle so it was exciting to work with them and make sure they did the right thing.

"You can imagine 4000 cattle on each farm, and most of the people hadn't worked with stock, too, so it was a challenge to help them get it right."

While he remains passionate about the agricultural industry, he said at the start of his career building experience and contacts in such a competitive buying arena presented some challenges.

"Being younger than a lot of my competitors was difficult sometimes but with age and experience I've become more confident in my decision-making and ability to play with the big boys."