FOLLOWING numerous requests and a survey of Beef Week participants, Stock & Land’s 2009 Spring Beef Week will be conducted over four days covering two weekends.
An online survey of participants came back with the overwhelming response that weekends were the best time for properties and visitors.
"No time is perfect for everyone, but from the responses to the survey it soon became apparent that the dual weekend formula would be the most popular," said new Beef Week chairman David McKay, Marschay Shorthorns, Creswick.
“The Beef Week committee listened to participants and responded accordingly,” he said.
While the new formula breaks with the tradition of having Beef Week on subsequent days, Mr McKay said Beef Week was an event for the industry and the committee had been responsive to industry requirements.
Spring Beef Week will commence on Saturday August 22 in the Riverina followed by Sunday August 23 in north east Victoria and the Goulburn Valley. There will then be a break from Monday to Friday with the eastern half of southern Victoria covered on Saturday August 29 and the western half of southern Victoria on Sunday August 30. The dividing line between the two sections of southern Victoria will be east of the Hume Highway.
Mr McKay said while Spring Beef Week was a valuable adjunct to the main autumn event which will be run along traditional lines, it was still a very valuable marketing opportunity for studs to display their cattle without the worry of total fire ban days.
“Importantly, Spring Beef Week enables the growing number of studs with Spring sales to display their stock and gives producers with Spring calving herds the opportunity to select bulls closer to joining time,” he said.
Entry forms will be mailed to previous participants in Beef Week in recent years and will be an insert in Stock & Land on July 9.
The Beef Week program as a tabloid sized lift-out will appear in Stock & Land on August 13.
