PROGRAM OBJECTIVE	KPIs	OUTCOMES	BENEFITS	FUTURE
Communicate and deliver tools and information from R&D outcomes, encouraging adoption by livestock producers, feedlotters and processors	5% increase in uptake of MLA tools and information by producers 5% increase in producer participation in MLA learning activities 10% increase in number of processing companies participating in the Red Meat Industry Professional Development program	2% increase in uptake of on-farm products and publications 17.5% of targeted livestock producers participated in MLA learning activities, a 36% increase over previous three years 13.3% increase in processing participants	Raised awareness of key profit and sustainability drivers Increased producer knowledge and management skills Attract, retain and nurture skilled employees to the industry	Launch of Making more from sheep best practice manual in conjunction with Australian Wool Innovation Ongoing delivery of producer learning activities for northern beef, southern beef and lamb/sheep producers Increase participation rates of companies and students by 20%

Adoption and capacity

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE	KPIs	OUTCOMES	BENEFITS	FUTURE
Communicate and deliver tools and information from R&D outcomes, encouraging adoption by livestock producers, feedlotters and processors	5% increase in uptake of MLA tools and information by producers 5% increase in producer participation in MLA learning activities 10% increase in number of processing companies participating in the Red Meat Industry Professional Development program	2% increase in uptake of on-farm products and publications 17.5% of targeted livestock producers participated in MLA learning activities, a 36% increase over previous three years 13.3% increase in processing participants	Raised awareness of key profit and sustainability drivers Increased producer knowledge and management skills Attract, retain and nurture skilled employees to the industry	Launch of Making more from sheep best practice manual in conjunction with Australian Wool Innovation Ongoing delivery of producer learning activities for northern beef, southern beef and lamb/sheep producers Increase participation rates of companies and students by 20%

The Red Meat Industry Professional Development Program is designed to attract, retain and nurture skilled employees to the industry

Working smarter

The adoption of new technologies and processes delivered by our R&D investment is crucial for the long-term profitability and sustainability of Australia’s meat and livestock industry. Our adoption and capacity program focuses on delivering efficiencies to both the on-farm and off-farm sectors.

Increasing producer knowledge

Our engagement with producers during 2006-07 delivered information to help them manage their livestock operations through the drought and to position them well for a fast recovery.

A drought resource directory was developed and mailed to over 35,000 MLA members and Elders and Landmark clients. The directory was also made available on the MLA website with links to our extensive range of Tips & Tools, events and other industry information and support resources.

Our quarterly on-farm magazines – mlaPrograzier and FRONTIER – increased distribution to 20,000 and 10,000 readers respectively and continued to provide key R&D information to producers throughout the year.

	New producer resource	Uptake by producers
	More Beef from Pastures CD (Version 2) – an integrated reference containing the steps and tools required to implement improvements across the entire beef business	8,998
	A guide to best practice husbandry in beef cattle – branding, castration & dehorning – provides information relating to a number of alternatives for each procedure	1,900 in first week of release to 30 June 2007
	Leucaena – A guide to establishment and management – 20 years of research experience with the knowledge of many successful leucaena growers strikes a balance of theory and practicality	435
	Weed control using goats – assists in traditional weed control methods, providing efficient, sustainable pasture management	696

	New producer resource	Uptake by producers
	A producers’ guide to production feeding for lamb growth – information on the key aspects of intensive lamb finishing backed by published evidence	1,002
	Pasture health kit – a handy reference guide to achieving and maintaining healthy pastures	1,721
	A range of new Tips & Tools – covering important issues such as management of pastures during drought, weeds, groundcover, soils and internal parasites	30,367

Attending events

Over 60 MLA-initiated or partnered events were held across southern Australia, attracting approximately 6,000 producers. These events were consistently well rated by producers who attended, provided them with insights, decision-making tools and new perspectives on how to improve an enterprise.

These events included 33 Cost of Production workshops, which gave 760 southern producers a simple performance measure of their enterprise and ways to identify their key profit drivers.

For the northern beef industry, our new series of ‘Beef-Up’ forums held across Queensland, Northern Territory and the Kimberley/Pilbara attracted 820 producers who collectively run over one million cattle and manage over one million km2 of pastoral land. These forums focused on how to make more money by improving reproductive performance and liveweight gain, as well as grazing land management and succession planning.

More than 700 producers attended two Meat Profit Days organised by MLA in conjunction with groups of local producers in Lucindale, South Australia and Alice Springs, Northern Territory.

These events, together with other MLA-funded producer learning activities such as EDGEnetwork, Producer Research Support, Grain & Graze and Evergraze, directly engaged approximately 17,700 producers during the year.

While drought conditions can be a significant barrier to implementing change, an estimated 50–70% of producers who participated in these activities changed management practices as a result.

Increasing adoption of R&D off-farm

Our efforts to improve the uptake of new technologies in the processing sector gained momentum this year with three new technologies available as a result of our R&D program and a 5% increase in their adoption by processors.

An open day for 50 people at CRF Colac provided a good platform for demonstrating the new smallstock technology, addressing their issues of concern and barriers to adoption. We also participated in seminars on CT scanning, automation and bioactives, and facilitated e-learning modules on supervisor induction, refrigeration index training, managing your own work performance and diploma finance through MINTRAC.

The number of commercial products developed from R&D projects this year assisted uptake levels. Some of these included:

electronic meat transfer certificates (eMTC) being implemented by three major processors who account for 30% of red meat processed in Australia
the continued uptake of GS1 standards by the supply chain with 401 companies currently registered
the installation of E-nose, an automated odour detection technology, at five abattoirs contributing to better management of odour
distribution of a food safety resource kit to 280 quality assurance managers, of which 90% said they would make changes as a result
the installation of Bladestop, a safety sensing system that prevents cutting injuries to band saw operators, in 20 abattoirs

Future industry leaders

In the spirit of building a more sustainable and profitable industry we facilitated a 56% increase in the number of companies throughout the chain participating in the Red Meat Industry Professional Development program, which aims to improve innovation culture and capability.

The program placed 29 undergraduates and 18 graduates at processors, service providers and feedlots this year, providing them with professional development and site-specific training with the aim of attracting their research and technical skills back into the red meat industry after they complete their studies.

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