Beef Australia Finishes on a High

AUSTRALIA - Beef Australia 2012 finished on a high last Friday, with inspirational speakers and fantastic entertainment on the final day of the cattle industry’s national exposition.

15 May 2012

2 minute read

Oceania

Generation Next of the cattle industry were inspired at Friday morning’s Milk Tooth Muster Forum by United States ranchers and ‘ag-vocates’ Troy and Stacy Hadrick, and Australia’s most remote cattleman and tetraplegic Rob Cook.

And country music stars Kasey Chambers, Shane Nicholson and Busby Marou, have performed at Beef Australia’s closing concert held in centre ring.

“It has been a remarkable week of innovation, collaboration, inspiration and celebration,” Beef Australia 2012 Chairman Geoff Murphy said.

“The response from the public and exhibitors has been exceptional and everyone involved can’t wait to return to Rockhampton again in 2015.” Hailing from South Dakota, the Hadricks encouraged the crowd of 120 young Australian producers at the Milk Tooth Muster to combat negativity towards agriculture by standing up and telling their own story.

In 2006, Troy and Stacy decided that they needed to share the importance of speaking up and have since presented at many events around America giving local producers the inspiration to start a conversation about the red meat industry.

Rob Cook shared his inspirational story. As a champion bull rider, Giro pilot, cattleman, and with a beautiful wife, Sarah, and two children, Rob had the world at his feet. However, in 2008, he was involved in a helicopter accident while mustering cattle on his family's remote cattle station, refining him to a powered wheelchair, with no movement or feeling, from the shoulders down.

Despite this, Rob continues to live and work on Suplejack Downs Station, Australia's most isolated cattle station which stretches across the Northern Tanami to the Southern Kimberley and Eastern Pilbara regions of Western Australia.

Three years on from his accident and Rob's aspiration and determination has seen him become the first person to cross the remote Tanami track (730 km NT) in a wheelchair.

Rob also became Nuffield Australia's 255th scholar. This enabled Rob to travel the globe in search of innovation and technologies in the beef industry. Rob used the scholarship to assist his future on the land, as well as seeking opportunities for other injured Australian farmers.