B.GBP.0054-Chair of the Northern Breeding Business (NB2) management Committee

Summary

The NB2 strategic partnership is addressing three key issues that threaten the long-term viability and sustainability of the northern beef industry:
1) The low level of adoption of proven management practices and technologies.
2) The level of calf wastage in northern breeding herds.
3) The low level of profitability of many northern beef businesses.

Through its three R&D pillars of Herd, Feedbase and Sustainability, supported by an overarching Pathway to Practice of integrated extension and adoption activities, NB2 will by 2027, deliver an estimated $20M in net benefits per annum to 250 northern beef businesses through increased production of 10M kg live weight of sale cattle, while operating at a level of production and profit that is sustainable in the long-term. This will be achieved by adopting proven management practices and new technologies, and by using objective data to inform business decisions. Seven producer groups have been established to date (≈51 beef business managing >12M hectares of northern rangeland and >400,000 breeders). Support staff, resources and training have been provided by the program, with producers collecting specific beef business data through 2022/23.

Objectives

The objective of this project was to provide leadership for the NB2 pilot program. The Chair of the NB2 management committee was responsible for developing the framework for the producer groups to operate within.

Key findings

The implementation of the NB2 program has proceeded in a timely manner in line with the L.NAB.1903: Northern Breeding Business: NB2 Strategic Partnership Development final report, in spite of the difficulties associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Seven NB2 producer groups have been established, engaging 51 northern beef business that manage 12+M hectares of rangelands and 400,000+ breeders.
• Facilitators and coordinators have been appointed for each of the producer groups and have completed a formal NB2 training program in small group dynamics and facilitation.
• Six of the seven producer groups have completed their foundation training in the Herd, Financial and Feedbase data templates that were developed for the NB2 program.
• The producer groups are populating the data templates with their specific beef business data through 2022.
• Four research projects that address Terms of Reference (ToR) relevant to the NB2 objectives have been implemented in 2021.
• A substantial NB2 communications program has been implemented which continues to keep all stakeholders in the program up to date with its activities. It’s a living document and is being continuously reviewed and improved to ensure that it engages effectively with NB2’s stakeholders.

Benefits to industry

The NB2 strategic partnership promotes and facilitates:
• increased and diverse investment in RDE&A for the benefit of the northern beef industry
• increased and integrated engagement in RDE&A by northern beef producers
• increases in productivity and profitability from northern rangeland systems that are socially, environmentally and economically responsible
• increased conversion of research and development output into industry/business outcomes.

MLA action

MLA is engaging new NB2 producer groups past the pilot phase, coordinated internally as it is scaled up.

Future research

MLA continues to prioritise research to increase reproductive efficiency, increase growth rate, and decrease herd mortality in northern Australia with the aim of increasing productivity, profitability, and sustainability of the industry.