Beef producers need to look beyond current high returns and develop co-operatives to outlast future price downturns, according to a Queensland farmer and Churchill Foundation scholar.
Emma Robinson, who is also the 2016 Queensland Rural Women of the Year, has used the experience of her 2015 overseas study tour and funding providing through the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award to form The Beef Co-op Project.
The project aims to promote the potential of co-operative business models to future-proof family farming.
“At the moment we have a window of opportunity in the beef industry,” she said. “Only 18 months ago we had a massive sell-down at the low prices, and now we’re on the flip side of that. It means that while some producers might not be as interested today because they’re getting huge prices, most are looking long-term. They understand it’s a
supply/demand cycle that we ride.”
She shared her vision at Australia’s first forum on agricultural collectives this week.