ON FARM NORTHERN CATTLE BUSINESS MANAGEMENTC Next generation on-farm extension Stephen Brockhurst and his father Kevin with Northern Beef Development (NBD) project development officers Daisy Goodwin, Stephanie Coombes and Mariah Maughan. The Brockhursts hosted a Northern Beef Development twilight forum for producers at Larrawa Station, Halls Creek. The WA Department of “Finally, Geoff led a series of performance, and set up opportunities Primary Industries and on-farm consultations, which provided for these businesses to create regional Regional Development is hands-on experience teaching benchmarking groups to collectively enhancing its extension program producers to use MLA’s breeder drive their performance with real-life in the Kimberley and Pilbara, mortality calculator. He also led a data sets.” which recently benefited from discussion on important management strategies, such as controlled mating, Trevor said the second part of the MLA mentoring. identifying the ideal joining time based program provided a reimbursement on green date, and critical mating of up to $15,000 to support The Northern Beef Development implementation of a business project forms part of the Department’s weights in heifers.” improvement project, identified in the approach to building a stronger Claire Atkins has since joined the participant’s business plan, that will agriculture and food sector in WA. Northern Beef Development project drive productivity. The project is focused on knowledge team as a development officer to sharing, promoting industry best provide support to pastoralists in “This might include trialling remote practice and supporting the project’s the east Kimberley, including the water monitoring systems, bringing a Business Improvement Grants (BIG) new participants in the BIG program. new area into production by installing program, which has helped 48 Trevor said the grants program has a water point, or buying software and pastoral enterprises so far, including been a successful component of the hardware to capture crush-side data,” 12 Indigenous enterprises. team’s work, providing $25,000 to he said. Project manager Trevor Price said the each successful applicant to improve The Northern Beef Development team of development officers, including profitability, resilience and sustainabilityproject team will facilitate peer-to-peer Mariah Maughan, Stephanie Coombes of beef businesses. learning opportunities between and Daisy Goodwin, who is from the “The grant is divided into two parts,” Business Improvement Grants program Aboriginal Business Development team, he said. participants and develop products and recently received mentoring from MLA tools from the data captured throughout ResearchCoordinator Geoff Neithe. “Initially, a reimbursement of up to theprogram. ■ $10,000 is invested to engage a “We had three great outcomes from Geoff consultant to develop a business plan and MLA’s involvement,” Trevor said. and capture benchmarking data across Trevor Price five compulsory key performance E: trevor.price@agric.wa.gov.au “Geoff rovided one-on-one trainingp indicators, as well as a further five for our development officers and was agric.wa.gov.au/r4r/northern-beef- the keynote speaker at the Larrawa optional key performance indicators. development-project St iaton twilightforum, where the This is followed by two annual business reviews. MLA’s breeder mortality calculator development officers had the benefit – mla.com.au/tools > Animal Health of observing his extension methods “The aim is to build a complete and Nutrition Calculators > and learning from his presentation on picture of economic performance, Breeder Mortality Calculator breeder management. reinforce the value of measuring 19