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Young Beef Breeders Bash sparks youth interest in cattle industry

The future of any industry is the next generation, and ag is no exception. But each year the average age of farmers, graziers and growers rises, so the industry is trying to get more young people engaged to ensure there’s someone to take the reins down the track.

This inspired the Charbray Society of Australia to hold its inaugural Young Beef Breeders Bash in Miles from March 31 to April 2.

While youth cattle camps are not new, this event was different in that it focused on commercial operations as well as stud operations.

Trevor Ford is vice president of the Charbray Society of Australia and owns Wattlebray Charbrays near Chinchilla with his wife, Lolita, and their children.

He says the weekend is the logical next step for the breed’s future.

“We need youth involved so there are up-and-coming breeders to pass information and genetics on to,” he says.

Twenty-six participants aged from four to 21 travelled from Monto, Calliope and Gin Gin for the Beef Bash alongside youth from Miles, Chinchilla and Taroom.

They were drafted into three teams named after current Charbray Society Life Members Rod Finden and Kerod Lindley and former Life Member, the late Jim Connolly.

Presenters taught them about heifer selection to achieve and maintain consistency, nutrition, how to sell not only your animals but also yourself, as well as the traditional cattle camp activities of preparing, showing and judging.

They toured Roxborough Feedlot to gain a better understanding of how to breed animals which meet market needs.

According to Trevor, the event was designed to get young people interested in Charbrays and the broader cattle industry by helping them determine the ideal beast for their operation.

“We wanted to show them how to set a goal and then create a plan to achieve that goal,” he says. “Not many breeders start out with the best, but we’ve all got to start somewhere so having a plan you can just keep chipping away at will certainly help them continuously improve.”

It was the first cattle camp for Sally Malcolm’s three daughters, Matilda, Isla and Darcie.

Only standing about as high as the calf she was leading, Darcie was the youngest participant.

Sally showed cattle growing up and has competed at the Sydney Royal Easter Show but she and her husband live in town so the girls hadn’t had any cattle experience before the event. She saw the weekend as a great opportunity for them to experience what she had enjoyed so much in her youth.

“We went for the life skills thinking that anything else they learnt would be a bonus,” she explains.

“They ride horses and love the outdoors but were a bit nervous having not dealt with cattle before, but they got over that pretty quickly after being thrown in the deep end!

“The older kids were amazing with the younger ones and were great role models in terms of practising the values which we want to instil in our girls so that was wonderful to see.

“It’s definitely sparked an interest in cattle for our girls, especially Tilly, who’s now got her heart set on being a jillaroo when she finishes school!

“They want to buy a heifer to start a stud and they’re going to some shows with another family in coming weeks which they’re really looking forward to.”

The Young Beef Breeders Bash wrapped up with a Young Judges and Paraders Showcase and awards presentation for cattle categories, leadership and team-all-rounders. Plans are already under way for the 2024 Young Beef Breeders Bash.