SUPPLY CHAIN CAPACITY BUILDING ICMJ turns 30 One of the red meatindustry’s mostsuccessful capacity‑building programs,“When I did the Churchill Fellowshipand came across the ICMJ program atGreeley in the US, there were only twopeople in the whole of the processing“Access, insights and opportunitiesis what we also stand for. Australianundergraduates, sadly, can get througha whole agricultural degree and never the Australian Intercollegiate sector in Australia with tertiary degrees,see inside a meat processor. This Meat Judging Association (ICMJ), and our understanding of meat quality program is providing students the was pretty much non‑existent at the opportunity to get a first‑hand look celebrated 30 years in July. time,” he said. at how technologically advanced the The 2019 Australian ICMJ workshop “I find it very rewarding that we’ve industry is.” and competition, held at Charles got a lot of our graduates working in Invaluable experience Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, the industry now, and that there are MLA Managing Director Jason Strong, NSW, was supported by MLA and students from each year that put their who has been involved in the Australian the Australian Meat Processor hands up to come back as coaches, run ICMJ since its second year and was a Corporation (AMPC). thecommittee and keep it going.” team coach for many years, said ICMJ In a demonstration of its ongoing Model of success provided invaluable experience and success, the event was the biggest The program boasts more than 2,500 connections for participants. to date, with more than 150 students alumni, including current ICMJ President“Of all the different things I’ve done from 12 Australian institutions and four and UNE Meat Science Senior Lecturer, over the years, from agri‑politics to international teams attending, as well Dr Peter McGilchrist. commercial and international roles, as some40 coaches. ICMJ, both here and in the US, has Pteer said what started as a one‑day been by far the biggest contributor to Looking back cometition in 1990 has now grownp The program was first established exponenally to become a five‑dayti the breadth of my network,” Jason said. in Australia after NSW Southern event in southern Australia and a “ICMJ is one of our most successful Tablelands beef producer, John Carter, three‑day event in northern Australia. industry events, particularly with the saw the enormous contribution the is not just around connection between industry and program made to the US industry while “The value ofICMJi training organisations.” on his 1983 Churchill Fellowship in meat scence trainng and educationi meat marketing. – it’s an opportunity to really hold the Jason said the introduction of Meat red meat industry up in lights and say Standards Australia (MSA) was a critical When he became Chairman of the NSW to undergraduate students, ‘this is a tipping point in ICMJ. Meat Industry Authority, John gathered great industry to work in’,” he said. support to establish the program “When ICMJ first started, it was looking in Australia. “The ICMJ program works. A 2016 at how to get people in tertiary survey of alumni found many were now education more involved in the meat As the inaugural Australian ICMJ working throughout the red meat supply industry and then when MSA came President, John said he was very proud chain, with just over 20% working in the along, that also provided a career path of what the program had achieved. processing sector alone. for meat judging students, and meat judging provided a source of potential employees for MSA as well,” he said. “There was a fundamental shift when we moved away from just having it as a competition, to having it as a training program and a competition. That was also driven by the dominance in the competition falling to a couple of individual institutions that were much better resourced and had programs with a meat component.” Furthering its reach, ICMJ expanded this year to include an inaugural Northern Conference in Rockhampton in April, sponsored by CQUniversity and Teys Australia. ■ The 2019 Australian ICMJ team which toured the US in January this year: Nikita Ellison, University of Queensland; Lauren Smith, Murdoch University; Jessie Phillips, Charles Sturt University; Jess icmj.com.au Davis, Sydney University; and Felicity Brumpton, University of New England. 39