A Message from the Chairman

A MESSAGE FROM

THE CHAIRMAN

Hi Folks,

We are excited to release Volume 3 of the Speckle Park International Magazine.

When you reflect back to the inception of the breed on July 6, 2006, in Canada, when the Minister for Agriculture at the time announced the Speckle Park breed a ‘distinct’ pure breed. Much has been achieved since this time. There are more than four Speckle Park breed associations across the globe, we are among the fastest growing beef breeds in the world and in 2023 we are the Sydney Royal Easter Shows Feature Breed! Speckle Park cattle are continuing to be selected by producers in commercial crossbreeding operations and high levels of hybrid vigour are being expressed. Speckle Park seedstock producers are seeing increased interest in the breed as the crossbred benefits are producing the type of product that is in high demand throughout the downstream supply chain from processors to consumers. The breed is growing, and the longevity is underpinned by the commercial relevance of our breed, which is founded on product quality. Our herdbook shows growth which provides excitement amongst breeders with the growing diversity. With total registered animals (active count) sitting at 24,626 as of October 2022 and 590 members of Speckle Park International, the anticipation to see the untapped potential of the breed is enormous. Our breed standards and integrity currently remain essential for which we expect to see transformative growth in market share across the beef industry, in the near term. Indeed, an exciting breed to be a part of.

With the greatest of respect to our breed heritage and the visionaries, those to introduce the breed genetics into Australian and New Zealand, we can celebrate that we are seeing increasing domestic market confidence in the breed and genetic exports on the rise across international markets.

Reflecting on the year of 2022 we are super proud of the team. Our Member Services Officer and each of the Sub-Committee members provide us with strong positioning for future years.

Throughout this year our Youth Sub-Committee have been active in education, fundraising, community engagement and represented us at the beef shows. We cannot underestimate the sense of joy children, youth and young adults experience when working with cattle, and the Youth team equip, enable, and encourage these realties through their facilitated programs. We cheer you on and appreciate all that you are doing!

Our Technical Sub-Committee have many projects being completed and more underway. From conducting research projects to feedlot trials, carcass data analysis, exploring genomic and phenotypic data for sequencing, and building industry connections, we have a wealth of talent and experience in this team to advance our breed through hard facts.

Showing our breed excellence though facts and figures will remain forever critical, including the local benefits to breeding selection and external marketing benefits for downstream end-users.

This magazine is testament to the wonderful work of the Marketing & Events Sub-Committee. The committee was recently formed and in a short amount of time has published two Newsletters, sought corporate sponsorship, published show agendas and results, hosted charity auctions and published this magazine, with no more than five members. We salute you team!

It’s what’s under the coat that counts they say! Well, that is true, and the Sydney RAS Sub-Committee will showcase the Hook, Hoof, and take control of the main arena next year for what will be the largest ever display of Speckle Park cattle Australasia has ever seen. This will be big! Our team, led by Tim Bell, will not rest between now and Easter 2023 to ensure the world takes notice of our breed at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Please register your interest to get involved as we need supporters to make this great event even greater.

As we turn the page on 2022, I take the opportunity to recognise the strong and positive collaboration experienced between the Canadian Speckle Park Association, American Speckle Park, and Irish Speckle Park. The success of the breed is not limited to a continent, but a global movement of producers who actively champion the breed to greater heights. Our next horizon is the end of 2023, and the landscape is positive. We will be establishing a sub-committee for Beef 2024, supporting regional and royal shows at which Speckle Park is the feature breed, conducting further trials and enhancing our commercial market focus. The Speckle Park community shares a sense of positivity towards the future, and we continue to look for new and exciting ways to advance.

We expect to be establishing new relationships with research centres, participating in leading edge environmental trials, and exploring new technologies to equip our members wherever possible with tools to stimulate their programs. Our unwavering commitment to the continued and enduring growth of Speckle Park as a leading beef breed globally will be evermore solidified throughout 2023.

In reading this magazine we trust that our passion for Speckle Park cattle is imparted to you, as we seek to raise greater awareness and share personal testimonials where a variety of people and businesses are benefiting from Speckle Park.

Kind Regards Mitch Warrener Chairman Board of Directors Speckle Park International Limited

HEATHER APPS

MEMBER SERVICES OFFICER

Office Hours - Monday to Thursday 8.30am – 1.30pm (ADST)

0491 226 990 (during office hours) mso@specklepark.org (anytime)