Quarterway Angus

“A significant recent business expansion will see us calve between 2,200-2,300 cows in 2023 and will also see a large increase to our grass-finishing program,” said Chris. “The aim is to settle at around 2,500 breeders over the next few years and a key to this is improving operating efficiency across all aspects of our business.” When asked, Chris is optimistic about the Angus breed and its future in the landscape of the Australian beef industry. “I see the breed continuing to grow particularly into the pastoral rangeland regions. I think the scale of the breed will mean that there will be greater divergence in animal types and not a one size fits all Angus animal.” “I hope that Angus breeders as a whole can acknowledge this will happen so that it can be used as a tool and a strength instead of creating internal animosity.” Broadening your landscape at GenAngus

Chris was one of ten young people in the beef industry that was selected for the 2021 intake of the GenAngus Future Leaders Program. Taking part in the three-day workshop in November 2021, Chris took plenty away that assisted in his professional and personal development. “For me, the best thing about being in the cattle industry is the people you get to meet along the way, as just about everybody is supportive of new ideas and giving with their time,” he said. “There’s some brilliant people in the cattle industry I’ve been lucky enough to meet so far including breeders, agents and vets and this GenAngus Program gave me the chance to meet and learn from a whole new range of experts, as well as interact with some very intelligent young ag professionals who I hope will be close peers in the beef industry for the rest of my career.” When asked why he applied for the program, Chris highlighted that his geographic location at times can be isolating when looking to interact with peers in the Angus breed, purely due to lack of opportunity. “It was primarily to make contacts within the breed as being based in the west networking can be a challenge – particularly during COVID-19. I also saw the program as a great opportunity to learn new skills relevant to growing a beef business.” And learn he did, with the sentiments of the presentations sticking with him twelve months on from his time in the program. “I got a lot out of all the presentations but one of the highlights for me was Pete Clark’s (from 21 Whispers) discussion on mindset and self-belief. A lot of his lessons are applicable to everyday life as well as building a business in the ag industry.” “I also got lot from Simon Quilty from Global Agritrends presentation. Simon gave us a brilliant insight into the world markets and some of his predictions for the shortmedium term future of the beef industry.” Chris was also encouraging of others, who may be at a stage where GenAngus is of interest to them, to make the leap and apply. “I think any program that puts you out of your comfort zone and gives you the opportunity to learn new ideas, skills and perspectives from industry leaders is very beneficial to both personal and professional development.”