Beef Cheque final report

Summary

This report provides a detailed account of the work carried out in the Beef Cheque project in the Gippsland region of Victoria from June 1995 to June 2000. Beef Cheque has been an innovative extension project for beef producers, involving cooperation between Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE), Beef Improvement Association of Australia (BIA), private consultants and producers. The objective of Beef Cheque was to equip producers with the skills to grow and use more pasture, produce more beef arid make more money. The project involved the formation of 15 beef producer groups across Gippsland, each centred on a focus farm, and featured monthly farm walks. Each group progressed through a planned series of activities. A total of 420 producers have participated in the project, with 250 participants at anyone time. Beef Cheque has been evaluated against the project's objectives using Bennett's Hierarchy, which provides the framework for this report.