A varied line-up of speakers has been assembled to present during the information sessions that comprise the NTCA’s 34th annual conference, which will take place from 7.30am to 4.30pm on March 23, at the Alice Springs Convention Centre.
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Key note speaker, Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Ret’d) served in the Australian Air Force for 41 years, including as head of the Australian Defence Force for six years between 2005 and 2011.
He will share his vast experience in effecting a tectonic overhaul of the culture within Australia’s largest employer, and leave delegates with insights into how to build and foster a culture of safety and success, using the aviation industry as a touchstone for comparison.
NZ and Australian ambassador for Singularity University, Kaila Colbin, will challenge delegates to think about what nanotechnology, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, and robotics have in common, and how this technology can impact beef production.
Ms Colbin will then give guests a startling look at the dramatic implications of exponential technologies, and provide some insight into how beef producers might better prepare themselves to adapt and thrive in a dynamically changing world.
Agricultural analyst for RaboResearch and Agribusiness at Rabobank, Wesley Lefroy, will present on Blockchain and banking in the future.
Blockchain is a new technology which is creating a lot of excitement, and Mr Lefoy will detail the benefits of it for NT cattle producers. Including its value in is proving provenance, its ability to create greater trust and increased transparency within global beef supply chains, and how it can help to reinforce Australia’s position as a leading global beef supplier.
After releasing the Australian Beef Report in 2017, Holmes & Company (a NSW based firm providing business advice to corporate and family owned farm businesses in all states of Australia) principal Dr Phil Holmes will delve into why 25 per cent of beef producers are generating healthy profits, but the rest are not generating sufficient returns to be able to pay both their owners a reasonable wage and pay the interest on their debts.
General manager for Research, Development and Innovation at MLA, Sean Starling, is a member of the MLA executive team, and is responsible for MLA’s $170 million annual R&D investment across the Australian red meat industry value chain.
Mr Starling has been engaged in food value chains for most of his career and will present on innovations and future developments in the red meat industry, and how they may impact a beef producers business look in the short and long term future. He will also reveal some of the exciting projects that could become a regular part of a beef business in the near future.
Head of Small Business Innovation at Google, David O’Mahoney will provide his insights into the multinational technology company’s development strategies for regional and remote locations. Alongside his team he has helped hundreds of Google partners in Australia & New Zealand be successful with their digital strategy.
Mr O’Mahoney will explain how Google plans to connect the world with Territory beef producers, he will discuss the challenges with communication on remote NT cattle stations and how Google is finding solutions to these problems.
Founder of Think.Digital, Tim Gentle, will share some of his virtual reality technology with delegates and will talk about the digital future of agriculture.
With technology advancing at an unprecedented rate, taking the plunge can be daunting, but Mr Gentle will provide delegates with a glimpse of the exciting journey that awaits, and help those present at the conference take their first steps.
Before the industry panel session begins, the Future NTCA Group for 2018/19 will be announced. The Future NTCA was first established in 2014 to foster and develop leadership skills within the NT’s beef industry’s next generation of leaders.
Now approaching its fifth year, the program has seen participation by a diverse group of young Territorians with a wide range of backgrounds and skills, all aspiring to contribute to strengthening the pastoral industry.
For enquiries call the NTCA office on (08) 8981 5976 and visit the website for updates.