CONGRATULATIONS go to Craig Bush, Event organiser, East Gippsland Beef Conference, and his team, who completed a very successful 2016 beef conference.
Held at the Bairnsdale racecourse last week, the event was booked out with 180 producers and other industry people attending the conference.
I believe this chart could explain why we are, where we are today with prices.
Darren Hickey, project leader, Better Beef Network, Agriculture Victoria, opened the conference, which had Richard Norton, managing director, MLA and market analyst, Tim Ryan, presenting to the audience.
The East Gippsland Beef Conference has been a sellout the past two years, due in part to the farm and business tours available, and the guest speakers, and industry panel.
This year the panel included Graeme Osborne, who fattens 3,000 steers, Robert Radford, of Radford’s, Warragul, Steve Rennie, Coles, and yours truly.
Richard Norton spoke of MLA’s role in the industry, past, present and future, while Tim Ryan presented several graphs and charts to aid his explanation of where we are in the beef industry today, and why.
In Prime Talk’s photo, this chart depicts the size of the Australian beef herd from 1970 to 2016 and predictions for the next couple of years.
I believe this chart could explain why we are, where we are today with prices.
One major thing to consider was the population of Australia in 1975-1977, and note the herd was at its highest level ever, of just over 33 million head.
Many of us remember the results of those times, when cows were being shot and buried with farmers receiving a meager $10 per head in compensation.
Our population back then was much smaller.
Now that the Australian population is around 24m, and we export more meat, and live export more cattle now, and to many more destinations, than 1977, it is no wonder prices are what they are.
Current estimations of our beef herd are somewhere close to 25 million, and although predicted to increase over the next 3-5 years, it may take a long time before it gets back to 2014 levels, and hopefully never to the 33 million head of 1977.
We all understand how the cost of meat has risen in all retail outlets, but I have to object to channel 9’s recent news story on beef prices, aired around two weeks ago.
If you ever wanted to put people off buying beef, that story was outstanding.
I don’t know where they filmed it, but I suspect it was in Mosman, Sydney, which would have to be the dearest place to buy meat in Australia!
On that very afternoon, I purchased sirloin (porterhouse) for $27 per kilogram.
In the channel 9 story similar steak was $13 dearer, which, in my opinion is way above normal.
