Enhancing Extension Skills to Drive Adoption in the Northern Beef Industry

Summary

The variable rates of adoption of new technologies and improved management practices by beef producers across northern Australia has been low in recent decades. Improving the skills of extension officers from the Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia departments of agriculture that service the northern beef industry was recognised as one method of addressing this problem. The Persuasion Skills Training provided by C-Qual AgritelligenceTM was identified as a program that would equip extension officers with techniques to increase adoption rates amongst northern beef producers. With funding from MLA, two-day workshops were held in Charters Towers, Queensland (Qld) and Darwin, Northern Territory (NT) during 2012-13. A total of 31 extension professionals participated in the training, two-thirds of whom had been working in extension for less than ten years. Detailed feedback from the participants is provided indicating that a wide range of skills were acquired and put into practice. It is too soon to ascertain the flow-on effect for industry. The Persuasion Skills training is recommended for other extension officers that service the red meat producers of Australia.