Ag Tech Sunday - Queensland Pastoralists go digital with E-Beef

By: "Farm Tender" News
Ag Company News
May 01, 2020
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By Future Beef

A newly formed Producer Group in North Queensland has met up online for the first time, and were joined by top quality speakers from all around Australia. The online meeting was a first for all of the properties involved, and signifies a shift to the digital world in light of COVID-19.

John McLaughlin from the Northern Gulf Resource Management Group works with groups of producers to improve the productivity and profitability of their grazing enterprises. Landholders would normally meet together face-to-face and discuss the challenges and successes within their beef businesses. They would learn about new innovations and products over a bite to eat and solve problems together in a social and peer- supportive way. Prompted by restrictions put in place around the COVID-19 virus, John has been proactive in getting producers to meet using video conferencing technologies.

The E-Beef project is a partnership with local producers and four organisations; Southern Gulf Natural Resource Management Group (lead), Desert Channels Queensland, Northern Gulf Resource Management Group and the Department of Agriculture & Fisheries (DAF). The project aims to implement grazing best management practice by demonstrating how timely management decisions can enhance pastures, groundcover, soils land condition, business profitability and adaptability. Funding for the project is from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program (NLP) and the Queensland Government Drought and Climate Adaptation Program (DCAP).

THE MEETING HAD TO CHANGE

John made the call to cancel the face-to-face meeting, which was scheduled to be held in Almaden in late March, but knew the E- Beef Producer Group project wouldn’t go ahead if he didn’t help these land managers to get online for a new style of meeting. John emailed and called each of the 8 properties and talked about using Zoom – an online meeting software.

“Yeh mate, sounds fine, but keep in mind that we have no history or ability in using these sorts of things” was the response from most of the people in the Producer Group. John sent landholders an email of what to do prior to the meeting. Nearly all of the producers had a 5-minute practice session with John the day prior to the meeting to test the sound and to feel comfortable with what would happen in the meeting.

John emailed instructions on how to get into the meeting to each of the land holders.

To get into the meeting do the following:

1. Find this email.

2. Scroll down until you find the link that is highlighted in yellow. 3. Click the link

4. At the bottom of the page with ‘Launching...’ on it – click ‘join from browser’ (at the bottom of the page in blue writing’

5. Enter your name and click join

6. Click ‘Join Audio by Computer’

7. You are now in the meeting – say hello in the ‘chat’ box at the bottom of your screen. 8. Test your sound and microphone in the bottom left corner if you need to.

Emily Corbett, Beef Extension Officer for DAF, also attended the meeting. She noted “within these groups there are people who are up to speed with technology and are keen to be more involved. There are also those who haven’t been involved much before and are looking to improve their skills.” For some the online meeting “may be breaking down those fears and concerns that people have... experimenting more and building that confidence.” This is all happening in a supportive group environment. The NRM or DAF extension officer can be there to assist with what happens if someone clicks something they’re unsure of.

Janelle Foote from Mt Cardwell Station attended the meeting. She said “it was quite scary, none of us had ever done this before. When we started and we didn’t need to have our picture up on the screen and we didn’t need to have our microphones on it was ok. If we did have any questions, we could type them as we had them. I found that was a lot easier for our first meeting.” Taking one or two steps at a time seemed to be the key for the success. People felt anxious prior to the meeting but with a practice session first and then using a couple of the functions was enough for this meeting. The next meeting people know they can do it and will be willing to try more again.

PRAISE FOR THE CHANGE

When changing from a face-to-face meeting to an online meeting it was important to rethink the events structure and purpose. The meeting was altered to include speakers that gave an in-depth overview of the services they could provide to the producers, and the meeting was held in the early evening at the end of a work day instead of stopping jobs that can be done in daylight hours to attend a meeting. John noted there are “some negatives holding a face-to- face meeting in remote locations”. Turning the meeting into an online meeting meant that “you can have access to anyone”. By having access to experts “you can deep dive into a topic and producers can have their questions answered,” John explained.

“This was an efficient and cost-effective way of holding a meeting,” John Colless of Wetherby Station noted as he reflected on some benefits from the event. “You could do a day’s work, come in, not even have to shower, grab a cup of coffee and get into it. In these current circumstances most of us have a little more time, we’re not bored, there are always things to do, but you shouldn’t be going to town, you shouldn’t be going to cattle sales.”

GIVING AN ONLINE MEETING A GO

Both John McLaughlin and Emily Corbett agreed that participants should allow enough time before the meeting to make sure they can log on, and that the event doesn’t become a rush or a stress. Having a supportive extension staff member who will help you log on the day or so before the meeting to check your microphone and speakers are working, can mean the difference between you worrying if it’s going to work, or looking forward to catching up with others in a new way.

Emily advises others running online meetings; “Don’t assume that you are talking to a group of people that all have the same level of understanding.” It has been demonstrated clearly with this meeting that a good level of preparation has made the difference. Giving clear instructions and phone support to help people before the meeting meant people are willing to do it again. “Prior to the meeting introduce your speakers and give a little bit of background on them” Emily suggests. “This way producers can do a little bit of research themselves and be ready for the session.”

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT

Reflecting on the success of the meeting, Emily Corbett explained future sessions could even be held “at lunch time so producers can tune in, eat their sandwich and connect while they’re in the house for that hour” or even “in that time just after they’ve knocked off they can just sit down with a cool drink and connect with others”.

Total kilometres that would have been travelled for the 8 properties to attend a function in Almaden...1,010km. Total kilometres that each of the 3 presenters were away from the Almaden...4,930km & 55 hours Driving

Even after COVID-19, having a once a month reconnection time with a theme for that month, where producers get to share something they’ve seen on their property or at a field day is a valuable use of people’s time and a way to stay in touch with their peers. This could mean that producers can share things they’ve trialed without having to wait for a big field day or travel long distances, and perhaps sharing this with a more familiar audience.

By adopting these online-webinar style meetings, Northern Gulf has the chance to reach a wider audience, and not necessarily just the producers specifically involved with current projects. Learning can be open to anyone in the region who has access to the internet. This group of landholders, who are all relatively new to this technology, have shown that anybody can participate in the digital world!

Picture - Face-to-face E-Beef meetings such as this had to be postponed in March 2020, causing the team to think outside the box and expand their virtual horizons.

https://futurebeef.com.au/