BEEF producers and other relevant industry people converged on Bairnsdale last week, to attend the East Gippsland Better Beef Conference.
There was a large crowd of attendees who took the opportunity to network, and hear presentations on a range of different topics.
Conference event manager Craig Bush said the farm visits were of particular interest to attendees, where they could choose to visit either the Alexander family’s farm in Lindenow, or the Ingram family’s farm also in Lindenow.
“People love to look over the fence and compare themselves with other people’s farms,” Mr Bush said.
“Fitting in a farm visit was really tricky, given the day is already so busy, but we thought it was a really worthwhile experience.
“I heard from a number of people that the visits were fantastic, offering great insight into some really revitalised farms.”
He said the presentations were well-received by the audience.
“The idea of having concurrent sessions where you could choose the presentation you wanted to watch was a bit of a double edged sword, because some people might have wanted to watch them both, but I think it gave the audience a good variety,” he said.
“We also tried to have some modern sessions, on drones and social media, to have a bit of a focus for young people.”
Other presentations included current and future beef markets, ensuring your farming business is fit for the farming game, prioritising surplus cash, artificial insemination in heifers, low stress handling, the ins and outs of Q fever, and controlling epidemic disease.
Mr Bush said the event was a great success.
“It was a fantastic experience, there was one lady who travelled three hours to attend, and she said the presentations were really motivating, and gave her a clear idea as to how she can improve her business,” he said.