YOUNG people wanting to get into the beef industry are getting hands-on experience through the Angus Foundation industry cadetships that provide professional development opportunities for young beef breeders.
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Three leading businesses - AuctionsPlus, NH Foods and Achmea Australia - are on board for cadetships again in 2024, with applications for each one open at different times throughout the year.
AuctionsPlus
For both Bonnie Cox and Josie Cox, the AuctionsPlus four-week cadetship turned into a career opportunity.
The cadetship covers every part of the business, with recipients spending time with the market operations, sales, marketing, social media and integrity teams, as well as attending an assessor training school, a key element of the online platform.
Bonnie was lucky to grow up in the stud scene with her mother's family owning Ben Nevis Angus, so she spent many weekends showing cattle and competing in junior judging.
When she moved out of home she wanted to work with horses, but by her early 20s she was looking to work in the beef industry and found the cadetship opportunity through Angus Youth.
She enjoyed being able to experience all parts of the business and became a market operator after her cadetship.
"I'm customer focused, running the sales, and I get to talk to vendors and get to know agents," Bonnie said.
"It's the perfect role to get my foot in the industry and it's such a good environment to be part of, because they're kids who grew up in the country, working in the city."
Bonnie mainly works from her home at Berry, NSW, but also spends time in the North Sydney office every fortnight, along with travelling for some sales.
"Getting out and about and meeting vendors and agents is a highlight, and I've got my own cattle and horses so I have the flexibility to do that on the side."
Josie was also an Angus Youth member, coming from a mixed farming operation at Wagga Wagga, producing Merinos and Angus cattle.
She also did a lot of showing through high school and became interested in genetics, leading to the establishment of her stud, Livingstone Angus, three years ago.
Her former ag teacher Belinda Everingham sent her the details about the cadetship and when she applied she'd worked at properties near Winton and Hughenden in north west Queensland, where AuctionsPlus was widely used.
There happened to be a position vacant when Josie began her cadetship and she'd decided to apply for it only a few days in.
"The main attraction was the people who work in the company, but the job is amazing, and I've been able to stay connected to the industry, talking to people from Western Australian, and from north west Queensland, all the way down to Tasmania."
Both Bonnie and Josie are also studying agriculture through Charles Sturt University, with their workplace giving them the flexibility to continue their studies.
NH Foods
Chloe Plowman's family was involved in the lotfeeding industry through her grandfather Allan Crawford's Glenvillan Feedlot, but the NH Foods cadetship gave her a wider insight into the beef industry, from the feedlot to international meat sales.
Ms Plowman, who works as a livestock and real estate agent, became interested in the beef industry at a young age, working with her family's Ruby Ridge Angus stud cattle.
She also worked part-time in a butcher shop for three years during high school.
Ms Plowman said the NH Foods cadetship allowed her to view the whole supply chain, with time spent at two processors, Wingham Beef Exports and Oakey Beef Exports, then Whyalla Feedlot near Texas.
"I got to see everything, from producing the cattle on the farm, the feedlot, the procession, then how they sell it overseas and within Australia," she said.
"Our family operation breeds bulls and females for sale, and our commercial cattle go to local saleyards and feedlot buyers buy them from there, so I was aware of the feedlot industry, but spending time in all aspects of the feedlot made me appreciate how professional it was.
"It was amazing to see the amount of technology they use in their outdoor activities, the automated infrastructure, the technology they use to work out feed in the mill, and working on rations with the nutritionist.
"They have multiple programs for each different grade of animals, number of days on feed, and the market that they're targeting."
Ms Plowman also spent time in the company's head office at North Sydney, where she sat in on meetings with sales team members and NH Foods clients, and learnt about the shipping and marketing side of the business.
"That gave me a real look at a big part of the supply chain that a lot of people don't know about," she said.
"I've expanded my knowledge of both lotfeeding and the red meat industry and I'm using it in my everyday life as an agent."
Achmea Farm Insurance
With an interest in banking, the Achmea cadetship was a good fit for Will Richards, who has recently graduated from the University of Queensland at Gatton with a Bachelor of Agribusiness and Agricultural Science, majoring in Animal Science.
His interest in the agricultural industry started from a young age, growing up on a hobby block near the Sunshine Coast where his parents ran cattle for their butcher shop.
He's about to spend time in the US working for a cutting horse trainer, before taking up a position in a banking graduate program in the middle of 2024.
Mr Richards said he had always been business-minded.
"I like seeing how things run and managing things, and banking is a good start to get access to see what farmers are doing, and what works in the business side of farming," he said. "It's a good industry with growth and a good working environment."
When Mr Richards applied for the cadetship he didn't have a big understanding of the insurance industry.
"We've always had farm insurance but I've never really thought too much about it," he said.
"I knew it would be a great experience and I'd get to learn about insurance and see what farmers were doing on their farms.
He spent two weeks at the company's head office in Sydney, spending time with different teams, before heading out to visit farmers with farm insurance specialists.
"It was good to see them building relationships with farmers. We visited a few farms that had had previous big claims and they don't worry about the cost of insurance now, because they've needed it and know they might need it again."
A highlight of the cadetship was the Marcus Oldham program, which helped Mr Richards gain more contacts in the industry and learn from industry leaders.
"We were some of the youngest people there so we don't have too much leadership experience but it was good to listen to others and see what they've encountered."
