FutureBeef

Summary

The FutureBeef Program for Northern Australia is a partnership of between MLA, and the agriculture departments in Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia. The main goal of the program was to support sustainable and profitable productivity gains for northern beef producers. The overall mechanisms by which this was achieved, is through co-investment into the delivery of a coordinated and structured extension delivery framework. The framework outlined activities to achieve industry awareness, build knowledge, skills and confidence and support practice change along with associated monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

This program aimed to increase producers use of innovation and technology, share and develop extension and communication resources and/or methodology for the northern beef industry, align extension and communication strategies to facilitate the implementation of appropriate National RD&E strategy priority areas.  This partnership also facilitated access to national extension capability (people, infrastructure and information) by industry including the private sector, Natural Resource Management groups and agribusiness. The specific expenditure in these project funded webinars, printing of manuals (including heifer, weaner and phosphorus management) from 2011-14.

B.GFB.1711 - Review of the FutureBeef Program for Northern Australia

This review covered the performance of the FutureBeef Program against its objectives and KPIs, including program impacts and the effectiveness of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the operating framework and was intended to inform next steps. The review explored the level of satisfaction of partners with the current agreement and provides information on partner interest in, and requirements for negotiating any future agreement.

Delivery staff (extension and research) in FutureBeef partner organisations were the most supportive and enthusiastic for what FutureBeef enabled them to do. They frequently referred to two areas of satisfaction. The first is the ease with which they can post topical, up to date information and the results of research for industry on a readily accessible hub which also informs colleagues and collaborators, and the second was the increased level of collaboration and connection possible with colleagues in other states.

Although overall there was a mixed level of satisfaction of partners, all have expressed their willingness to be involved in creating a new version of FutureBeef, provided partnership agreements can be negotiated to satisfy their organisational and functional necessities and this is a key message of the review.