Drewe Ferguson from CSIRO and Ben O’Donoghue, Celebrity Chef will be speaking during the #GrowAngus National Conference on May 18th and 19th in Ballarat Vic.
Dr Ferguson will speak on the Use of Digital Technologies in the Australian Red Meat Industry’Dr Ferguson is a Research Director who leads the Livestock Systems Program within CSIRO Agriculture and Food.
He is an internationally recognised animal scientist with expertise in stress physiology, animal welfare and meat science. He was a key member of the research team that led the development of Meat Standards Australia, the world’s first beef palatability grading system and he has been instrumental in the delivery of improvements in farm animal welfare.
The goal of his program is to transform the productivity and sustainability of Australian livestock industries through the delivery of innovative genetic and phenomic technologies, improvements to farm animal health and welfare, integrated farm management solutions and trusted advice. Digital agriculture is a key research focus of the program and specifically, the development of precision livestock phenotyping and management technologies.
Ben started his career in Australia in the 90’s, then headed to London where he worked in kitchen like the famous River Café, Monte’s Clun, Atlantic Bar and Grill alongside names such as Jamie Oliver and Oliver Peyton. Quickly he became a well-known personality there and fronted BBC2 series The Best with Paul Merret and Sylvana Franco.
When he returned him he went straight into filming Surfing the Menu with Curtis Stone, which lasted for 4 very successful seasons. Further TV shows that Ben fronted include The Best in Australia Lifestyle channel, Drive thru Australia, Tom & Ben’s Singapore and Aussie BBQ Hero’s Channel 7.
Ben has released four cookbooks with Hardie Grant Books, Outdoor: Grill Your Way Round the World; Ben’s Barbeque; At Home With Ben – a snapshot of his stellar cooking career and Ben’s Barbecue Bible – a culmination of all things barbecuing. Ben’s 4th book, Ben’s Meat Bible, was released in 2015. He has also has been a regular contributor to major food magazines including writing for Delicious for 10 years.