Newest member of the Goat Industry Research, Development and Adoption Committee, Bob Brown.
Meet your new committee member: Bob Brown
Producers don’t often consider themselves ‘committee people’, but for Bob Brown, getting involved was less about titles and more about making sure practical experience had a seat at the table.
As the newest member of the Goat Industry Research, Development and Adoption Committee (GIRDAC), Bob brings a grounded, rangeland producer perspective to discussions that guide levy decisions.
Based near Bollon in southwest Queensland, Bob runs what he calls a ‘family show’ – a 100,000 acre mixed enterprise of cattle and goats, experimenting with different mob management applications for more than a decade.
The business runs around 20,000 goats to manage regrowth and woody weeds under cattle in a predominantly rangeland landscape. The flexibility of moving between systems as seasons, markets, and risk profiles shift is something Bob believes reflects reality for many producers.
As part of the committee, Bob wants to ensure practical experience, in addition to representation of rangelands and southwest Queensland, is captured in research and development investments.
“Producers are busy. If you don’t get involved, decisions still get made,” Bob said.
“Everyone on the committee has something to offer, whether it’s their approach to different management systems, experience, or plans for upcoming challenges in the industry.
“I’m confident that the direction GIRDAC is heading in is representative of industry need and producer priority.”
Committee participation gives Bob the chance to both contribute and learn, keep up with what others are doing, where research is heading, and how the industry may continue to mature. With quarterly meetings and one annual face-to-face, he sees the commitment as manageable and worthwhile.
Bob’s enthusiastic about the direction of current research investments, describing them as practical and well aligned with industry needs. For him, GIRDAC is about making sure the goat industry’s momentum is supported by research that reflects real production systems, not theory alone.
