Market analyst Simon Quilty
Beef producers attending the 2018 BetterBeef conference in Bendigo on 26 June will have access to some of the best minds in the business according to beef farmer, conference committee member and agribusiness consultant Ted Ryan.
Mr Ryan, who is a member of a BetterBeef Network group in the Barwon South region, said producers at the conference will listen to and ask questions of high calibre presenters, such as MLX Pty Ltd’s Simon Quilty.
“Simon is known for opening up the chilled beef market to Japan, developing import and export opportunities with King Valley Enterprise, playing a role in developing INTL FC Stone’s livestock and meat desk and many other commercial achievements,” he said.
“Global beef demand remains strong and last year Simon wrote a discussion paper outlining that 2017 was the start of a ‘Super Demand Cycle’ which in the past has resulted in two strong consecutive years of high global demand for beef.
“The drivers of this increased demand have been the growth of the Asian middle class, particularly in China, the relative herd sizes in key supply/demand countries and the influence of competing meats.
“The continued growth of China as a major importer of beef has many asking: how sustainable are these global prices and will the ‘Super Demand Cycle’ extend beyond its traditional two-year cycle? This will be discussed during Simon’s presentation.”
Mr Ryan said thought-provoking ideas on marketing cattle in a digital world will be presented by Cattlesales.com.au Director and Dust Diseases lawyer Elisha Parker, while the University of Adelaide’s Professor and Executive Director of Centre for Global Food and Resources Wendy Umberger will give conference goers plenty to think about in her presentation: “Consumer demands and animal welfare. What do consumers really want?”.
An industry panel, made up of feedlot and processors, will discuss key industry issues in a Q&A form and take conference delegates into the minds of buyers such as Coles, Teys Australia, JBS Southern Livestock, and HW Greenhams.
“Panellists will be asked about the traits they’re looking for when buying stock, what their customer requirements are and the value of branding and supplier relationships,” Mr Ryan said.
“They’ll also be asked to identify what they believe will be the big issues for the beef sector over the next decade.”