Linking pastoral beef to higher-value markets through new backgrounding systems
Organisation: West Midlands Group
Grower Group R&D Grant amount: $499,700
Increasing the final sale weight of cattle is central to increasing the value of the WA beef supply chain. The West Midlands Group aims to build a robust backgrounding system for beef cattle in WA, by developing awareness and interest amongst producers of the commercial opportunities of cattle backgrounding in mixed farming enterprises.
Together with Harvey Beef, the West Midlands Group will work with producers to build awareness of alternative market opportunities for live export cattle, facilitate entry and continuity of producers in the backgrounding sector, address any barriers to entry producers identify, and provide ongoing support to ensure the success of their backgrounding business. The project will foster collaboration between pastoralists, cattle backgrounders, feed-lotters, beef producers and processors.
Its success will add significant value to pastoral cattle otherwise destined for live export markets, provide new employment opportunities on-farm and in meat processing sectors, and is critical to the expansion of the WA cattle industry.
The $17.4 million Grower Group R&D Grants Program is a major component of the Agricultural Sciences R&D Fund managed by DAFWA.
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