BEEF and sheepmeat producers are poised to star in a new social media campaign that Meat and Livestock Australia will launch next month.
Called Target 100, the project aims to highlight 100 initiatives that will deliver sustainable cattle and sheep farming by 2020, while counteracting negative perceptions of the red meat industry. The messages of producers will be carried via social media, potentially exposing best-practice operations to a worldwide audience of millions.
MLA's David Pietsch said Target 100 was about giving producers the opportunity to tell their stories to an increasingly attentive and interested city audience, as indicated by recently compiled research.
"By telling stories about what producers are doing to care for their animals and sustainably manage the natural environment, we can continue to build the community's trust that producers are doing the right thing and help bridge the divide with urban Australians on the issue of food production," Mr Pietsch said.
The program will be launched in Sydney on Tuesday, March 27. An advertising campaign will start on March 28 in major metropolitan newspapers as well as a 60-second advertisement that will be screened in cinemas and on Qantas in-flight programs.
Mr Pietsch said the 100 initiatives were made up of research and development and extension programs that MLA funds on behalf of industry in areas including water, biodiversity, emissions and animal welfare.
"The key focus of the website is an interactive Google earth map that showcases what producers right across the country are doing on their properties and discussion forums," he said.
"The case studies aren't only about highlighting the best or most innovative producers, it's about telling city people about the common practices on Australian cattle and sheep properties. Practices that enable great meat to be produced while working in harmony with our natural environment."
John and Kathy Colless, Wetherby Station, Mount Molloy, have already committed to sharing their story on the Target 100 site.
The couple devotes significant time, money and energy to implementing sustainable land management practices on their property Wetherby Station, a property with a unique range of environments, ranging from rainforest to savannah grasslands and bush, boasting 74 bird species, 12 varieties of butterfly and 115 species of flora.
Their aims are to improve farm productivity and ensure that biodiversity and environmental values are retained. To this end, they have completed riparian fencing on the entire boundary of their property that borders Rifle Creek, ensuring that no cattle gain access to the creek, and creating a natural vegetation zone of 20-30m. Stock water is provided by gravity-fed troughs in each paddock.
Exclusion fencing has also been erected on cleared land to allow for the planting of 3000 native trees that have been raised from locally sourced seeds. These areas provide a wildlife corridor from the creeks and at the same time improve the aesthetics of the cleared land.
Furthering their commitment to sustainable farming, they stock conservatively and wet-season- spell paddocks every three years to allow native grasses and other fauna to reseed, to retain the vital ground cover of grasses and litter to assist in erosion control during heavy rainfall.
Chinchillia's Steve Taylor, Moriah, says on the site that his philosophy is simply that, whatever he touches, he wants to leave better than when he picked it up. He is critical of artificial methods and believes in sticking to natural production and natural feeding. Ultimately, he believes that if he looks after the land and creates healthy pastures, through avoiding overstocking and using rotation, the animals will look after themselves.
"You need to recognise, not deny and defy nature. It's about reading the environment and adjusting stocking rates accordingly. If you keep animals on drought-affected land, you actually prolong the drought and don't give the land time to recover, so it takes much longer."
A key focus for Mr Taylor has been to improve pasture, soil health and soil biology. To this end, he has planted legumes to improve the quality of the soil.
"Sustainability is about the footprint we have as a farm. The quality of the soil directly affects the pasture and the animals. The soil needs to be healthy for everything else to be healthy," he says.
MLA is calling for as many producers to send in short case studies and a photo for the campaign.
"A critical mass of producers on the site is the best way to demonstrate that the industry as a whole is committed to managing our resources sustainably," Mr Pietsch said.
"Target 100 pulls together all of the activities that are underway on farm, at feedlots, at processors and in MLA's environment research and development program, to demonstrate to all consumers that the Australian red meat industry is committed to sustainability.
"It's the human stories that engage people and we want to have as many as possible. It's also a way to show that there isn't one 'right' way to sustainably produce cattle and sheep.
"Each region is different and therefore what is appropriate in one area isn't appropriate in others and by having lots of case studies with different ways of sustainably managing properties, this will be demonstrated.
"Today's consumers are wary and they want a real and honest picture of how their food is produced and the people best placed to tell that story are the ones on the front line of sustainable farming - the cattle and sheep producers."
Email a friend