05Mar 2023 by Ian Mclean No Comments
Staff Update: Bush Agribusiness Team of 2023

Staff Update: Bush Agribusiness Team of 2023

Opinion Pieces
We are thrilled to be welcoming Simone Parker to our permeant team at Bush Agribusiness.  Simone has previously moonlighted for us delivering Business Edge workshops and speaking at events and helping clients with planning and strategy.  Her role at Bush Agribusiness will encompass many facets including working with family boards, succession planning and group facilitation.  Simone brings extensive knowledge of the northern pastoral industry, having worked in extension, training and NRM roles across Queensland and the Northern Territory and is based in central Queensland. Many of you have already had the pleasure of meeting Sally who commenced with us in July last year.  Sally has begun delivering Business Edge and is taking a lead role in a chapter of the soon to be released Australian Beef Report 2023.  Sally will…
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05Mar 2023 by Ian Mclean No Comments

2022 Business Analysis Results

Opinion Pieces
In 2022 we were able to produce our most detailed analysis of client data from ‘The Business Analyser’ to date. There were a couple of reasons behind this, the main one being that Oudam Hunphy, our management accountant, has been able to take our analysis to another level. Having a dedicated person to lead our data analysis has added greatly to our capacity. Going forward Oudam, and the whole team, will be working to further improve the analysis, to make it easier for you to provide the data necessary and get the most value out of the analysis we do.The second reason is that the volume of client data we have has grown over time, allowing more robust analyses to be conducted. In 2022, our client base managed $1.1 billion…
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05Mar 2023 by Ian Mclean No Comments

Business Edge Workshops in 2023

Opinion Pieces
Bush AgriBusiness has Business EDGE workshops scheduled across Queensland in 2023. The full list of dates and locations can be found below.  We started off with a successful Townsville Young Guns workshop in early March and will be in St George at the end of the month. Midway through the year, we will head to Barcaldine and Emerald. Finally, in November Brisbane will play host to another Young Guns event and the final Business EDGE workshop for the year will be held in Biloela on December 5th and 6th.St George, March 23-24Barcaldine, June 5-6Emerald, June 8-9*Brisbane, November 29-30Biloela, December 5-6*Business EDGE Young Guns workshops are for up-and-coming livestock producers who are ready to build their skills and confidence to manage a modern agricultural business.Business EDGE is a two-day financial literacy…
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05Mar 2023 by Matric Support No Comments

All models are wrong, some are useful!

Opinion Pieces
This astute aphorism is attributed to George Box, a British statistician of the twentieth century. It is something that any of us who perform modelling or longer-term budgeting should keep in mind. A phone call from a beef producer to discuss recent extension messages on herd fertility reminded me of the quote. The producer was attending an event where one of the key messages being delivered was that it was not economical to pursue improved fertility via genetics in northern beef herds. This surprised her as it was contrary to her own experience, most other extension messages and the findings from our analyses over time. The messages were from a Qld Dept. of Agriculture and Fisheries report on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from drought. This specific report was…
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05Mar 2023 by Ian Mclean No Comments

Custom Report Within Xero

Opinion Pieces
Businesses typically set up accounting software mainly for tax purposes, which is perfectly fine. However, at times, different formats of Income (Profit and Loss) Statements are needed for other purposes, such as for internal performance review, submission to banks, or other analysis. We see business owners often export existing reports and attempt to cut and paste them to suit their needs. While it is acceptable to do so for a one-off report, time is a scarce resource which could be better spent on income-generating activities or ensuring smooth business operations.Luckily there is a way to optimize the process. Continue reading
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05Mar 2023 by Ian Mclean No Comments

Inaugural Leading Managers Forum

Opinion Pieces
The Bush AgriBusiness team are putting the finishing touches to the inaugural Leading Managers Forum. This unique opportunity is open to Bush AgriBusiness clients only and has been developed as a result of client demand to provide knowledge and skills on business management to emerging grazing business managers.  Our objective is for each participant to build their skills and confidence, strengthen their networks and create a personalised development plan to reach their full potential as managers in the business and leaders in the industry. The Forum will run over three full days on the 29th, 30th and 31st of March 2023 in Brisbane. Continue reading
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09Dec 2020 by Ian Mclean No Comments
The importance of Science in Agriculture

The importance of Science in Agriculture

Articles & Publications, Opinion Pieces
Science is vital to the future of agriculture and producers need to play a role! This was a clear message that came from Professor Dennis Poppi at the very first combined producer business group meeting Bush Agribusiness held in October. The meeting was one of the highlights of 2020 for Bush AgriBusiness and brought together like-minded producers from across Queensland for two days of learning, discussion and networking. Starting the two day conference, Professor Poppi detailed what the scientific process is, how it has evolved, and how agriculture has played a large role in its development (see Rothamsted). Whilst the scientific process is imperfect and can take a long time, robust research and the scientific process play an important role in providing the solutions to key problems facing the industry.…
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25Nov 2020 by Ian Mclean No Comments
Determining long-term carrying capacity

Determining long-term carrying capacity

Articles & Publications, Opinion Pieces
KNOWING the long-term carrying capacity (LTCC) is essential information for managers of extensive grazing businesses. As highlighted in a previous Beef Central article, it is a controversial issue, however there is an established, evidence-based process for estimating long term carrying capacity. Let’s start by defining what carrying capacity is. The long term carrying capacity is the number of animals that a property (or paddock) can support over a planning horizon (10+ years) with no decline in land condition. The figure is typically expressed in Animal Equivalents (AE). Current carrying capacity is based on current land condition and watered area, whereas potential LTCC is based on best land condition state and assumes the area is fully watered (source: Australian Beef Report: 2020 Vision). In order to calculate the carrying capacity for an…
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