Host: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s Northern Beef Development project, funded by the State Government’s Royalties for Regions program
Region: Kimberley and Pilbara regions, Western Australia
The Northern Beef Development project aims to support the northern beef industry to become more prosperous, resilient and sustainable to meet this growing demand for products.
It is part of the department’s integrated approach to building a stronger agriculture and food sector in WA’s north to support local job growth and regional economic prosperity.
Formerly known as Northern Beef Futures, the project was reviewed in 2017/2018 to place a stronger focus on initiatives that deliver the greatest return on investment, including innovative new crop trials, improving regional infrastructure, supporting practice change within industry, and policy development that will lead to improvements in productivity.
The review also resulted in a more targeted approach to capturing new international markets, integration with other department land, water and agriculture development projects and creating more strategic links to supply chains in WA southern regions.
The Northern Beef Development project has three key pillars:
The collective outcomes of these pillars will provide the building blocks for a stronger, more diverse and resilient beef industry in the north.
Project highlights
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Extension of the Business Improvement Grants (BIG) program allows 20 additional pastoralists access to business advice, mentoring support and business improvements to strengthen enterprise profitability. Read more about BIG Round Two.
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Field trials currently underway to breed a sterile leucaena variety as a high value food source to boost beef production and eliminate weed risk. Read more about the progress of these trials.
- A total of 48 pastoralists undertook projects funded through round one of the Business Improvement Grants program. Click here to see how these projects had a positive impact on farm operations and bottom line.
Manager, Trevor Price
Hi, I’m Trevor and I am the Manager of the Northern Beef Development project, based in Broome. I have a good understanding of cattle enterprises from all perspectives having initially attended a rural college, worked on cattle stations in the Northern Territory and, more recently, established my own cattle stud in New South Wales. I’ve met quite a few pastoralists in the area already from my previous travels as a seed stock producer and prior to that I spent 26 years in the military as a soldier and officer working in management and engineering which complements my animal science background.
Development Officer, Mariah Maughan
Hello I’m Mariah Maughan. I’m originally from the small town of Harvey in the south west of WA. After finishing school I moved to the Kimberley to work as a ringer on Liveringa Station where my passion for the northern beef industry began. Afterwards I went on to complete my Animal Science and Animal Health Degree at Murdoch University in Perth. I work as a Development Officer based out of Broome, and am excited about contributing to the growing industry in northern Australia.
Northern Beef Development Officer team: Development Officers Stephanie Coombes, Mariah Maughan and Clare Atkins, with project manager Trevor Price.
Episode 61. Tylah Bonisch – Her first year as Head Stockwoman
Since she was knee-high to a grasshopper, Tylah Bonisch knew she wanted to work with cattle and horses. She didn’t travel to the north for a gap year, but to start her career in the pastoral industry. In this episode Tylah and I speak about her time in the industry so far, and how she […]
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Flying Shy
Most stations have a plane or a helicopter, and at some point you’re going to get offered a flight. Here’s how to totally ruin your chances of ever having a second go. 6am and we’re just pulling up to the airstrip – a wide gravel road a short way from the homestead. Inside the old […]
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Episode 60. Jess Di Pasquale – Equine adventures in Australia and abroad
Jess Di Pasquale is a born and bred Territory girl. Even though her childhood was colored with living on and visiting cattle stations, she went on the excel in the English equine discipline of Mounted Games, competing overseas 3 times while Representing Australia. In this episode, Jess shares her latests plans to compete in the […]
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Episode 58. Danyelle Haigh – Don’t judge this book by its cover
Let’s be honest, we love to judge. It’s second nature to take someone at face value and make assumptions about them. In social science, this phenomenon is called schema are mental structures that an individual uses to organize knowledge and guide cognitive processes and behaviour. So what that means, is that we use Schema to categorize objects and […]
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From brats to bovines
Written by Sarah Johnson It started off as a distant dream back when I was in high school. You know.. the good old year 10 subject “careers”, when it’s that dreaded time where you’re almost an adult and have to start making career choices. Everyone else was expressing that they wanted to become lawyers, engineers, […]
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Episode 57. Luke Hayes – Venturing off the pastoral pathway
Luke Hayes was born a 6th generation pastoralist on Deep Well Station in Central Australia. You’d be forgiven if you assumed that Luke was planning to continue in the same line of work as the previous 5 generations of his family – it just makes sense, right? However, that is not Luke’s story. As a […]
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Rain man
Written by James Christian There’s nothing more satisfying than having a property owner leave you in charge for a bit while they take off on holiday, and when they return you can honestly report that nothing is broken or lost, and that the livestock are healthy and fat, the dams are full and the grass […]
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Episode 55. Tanya Heaslip – An Alice Girl
Tanya was raised on a cattle station north of Alice Springs during the 1960s and 1970s. The stories from her childhood sound like something out of book – too wild and wonderful to be true. As it turns out – they are so extraordinary Tanya has published them into a memoir called An Alice Girl, […]
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First Impressions Count
When is it too early to ask your new boss about the existence of aliens? Day two, probably. So we’re out on a windmill run. The station owner might need a hand pulling a windmill (or is it pulling a bore? Not sure….) As he climbs the precarious ladder up the side of this rusty […]
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An Alice Girl
An Alice Girl is Tanya Heaslip’s extraordinary story of growing up in the late 1960s and early 70s on a vast and isolated outback cattle property just north of Alice Springs. Tanya’s parents, Janice and Grant ‘the Boss’, were pioneers. They developed the cattle station where water was scarce, where all power was dependent on […]
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When the boss bought home a wife
A copy by memory of poems by W. DeBeuzeville, who worked for Berte Wilkinson at Yallowin (a stock dealer in the years 1905, 1906, and 1907, before the days of motor cars). When the boss bought home a wife Yes, he’s married is the old boss now, And leads a quiet life A sitting round […]
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Episode 54. Steph Coombes – It takes a village
Welcome to the final Central Station podcast for 2020! As per usual, you’re listening to me, Steph Coombes, who is the host of this podcast and who also manages all of the Central Station platforms. Today’s episode has been inspired by Lucy Daley, who featured on Episode 52. When asked what message would she put […]
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When the warning signs aren’t there
Written by Lara Jensen, Wondinong Station I answered the knock at the door the night my brother and his two friends were killed. It was just before midnight when two local police officers arrived at our Murchison homestead. Shearing was due to start the following day. Around our kitchen table, we learnt that three beautiful […]
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International Contributors
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AGP Indonesia (2013-2015)
Host: Lisa Wood Company: PT. Agro Giri Perkasa (AGP) Business: Importer of Cattle to Indonesia Location: Indonesia My Role: Traceability Manager Short bit about myself: I came to Indonesia as a traceability officer on a steel fabrication project for a WA mining project. While I was working on this project The Ban occurred. I remember […]
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Hodgson River Station (2013-2015)
Location: Hodgson River Station, NT Website: Cattle Producer Hello Central station readers, I’m located in the NT with my husband and 2 children. We operate a small cattle property in the Roper Gulf breeding Droughtmasters. Our main turnoff is to the live cattle export trade, particularly Indonesia but also the countries that take heavier […]
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Katherine Outback Experience (2016-)
Host: Katherine Outback Experience, Riverboyne Horsebreaking & Training Manager/ owner: Tom Curtain Region: Katherine, Northern Territory Nearest town for shopping: Katherine – 6km Nearest roadhouse: Katherine Number of Cattle: 1 Brahman steer, his name is ‘Tin Shaker’! Number of Staff: 2 Size of Property: 20 acres How often and how the mail is delivered: Mail is […]
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Helen Springs Station (2015)
Host: Helen Springs Station Managers/ Owners: Helen Springs Station is owned by S. Kidman and Co Ltd and is managed by Chris Towne, along with his wife Sally Towne. Brunchilly, the outstation to Helen Springs, is managed by Luke Giblin. Region: Helen Springs and Brunchilly are situated in the Barkly Tablelands in the Northern Territory. Nearest town […]
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Undoolya Station (2018-)
Station Name: Undoolya Station Owners/Manager: Ben and Nicole Hayes Region: Alice Springs, Northern Territory Nearest town for shopping, doctors etc: Alice Springs, 30km Nearest Roadhouse:Alice Springs, 30km Number of Cattle: 5000 Breeders Number of Staff: Size of Station: How often and how is the mail delivered: How often and how the stores shopping is done:
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Manners Creek Station (2014)
Location: QLD/ NT Border Let me first introduce myself- I’m Jodie and together with my husband Dusty and three daughters Willow (1 year old), Jaz (2.5 years old) and Emily (15 years old) we manage Manners Creek Station- a cattle station on the QLD/NT border. Manners Creek is just under two millions acres in size […]
