By Kate Stark
Sixth-generation Eugowra cattle farmer Caitlin Herbert is ready to tackle her next big challenge after being awarded a Nuffield scholarship at the end of last year.
Supported by the Future Drought Fund, Ms Herbert has committed to spending the next year investigating best practice in intensification of the beef industry across the world.
By bringing that knowledge home, she hopes her research will open opportunities for the feedlot sector to play a vital role in drought-proofing the domestic beef supply chain.
In order to create a sustainable future for the farm, Ms Herbert said resilience in agriculture has become a priority for her and her family.
"Australia is known for facing weather extremes such as droughts, floods, heatwaves, and frosts," Ms Herbert said.
"Drought is a society-wide problem and research into drought resilience will ensure Australia can endure the changing environment and recover quicker."
Ms Herbert said feedlots are a promising solution for drought mitigation, allowing alternate feed sources, increased animal welfare protocols, satisfying risk registry protocols and contingency plans.
"It'll be interesting to look at alternative feed sources, international industry welfare protocols, alternative water sources, risk registers, contingency plans - those types of things - to see what we can do for mitigation and also for recovery while not affecting welfare - and economics."
While use of feedlots is common, there is limited data available on their impact on the beef supply chain's preparation, response to and recovery from drought.
As a 2024 scholar, Ms Herbert recently visited cattle feedlots in South America, including trips to local restaurants in Brazil and Argentina to sample the products in a true paddock-to-plate experience.
"Our guide in Sao Paulo Danilo Grandini took us around and planned the whole trip for us - we couldn't have done the trip without him," Ms Herbert said, adding the group visited research facilities, abattoirs, restaurants and backgrounding blocks in order to understand the local beef supply chain.
"We were able to try Picanha which is the rump cap and the hump or 'cupim', which I found really interesting. You have to eat it hot and it has to be thinly sliced."
Ms Herbert said one of the biggest takeaways from her trip was understanding how the weather impacted the industry, with Brazil receiving more than double the amount of rain compared with some areas in Australia.
"Their rations change constantly as weather patterns and access to different feedstuffs change. Their backgrounding facilities are phenomenal. The way they use their paddock rotations for their backgrounding cattle is very interesting and, if we had the rainfall to do that, we would look into that model a little bit more."
Ms Herbert said she is now busy planning her next research trip which will take her to feedlots in the US and Canada this month where she will gather more information for her final report.