What does Greg Bradfield of Musselroe Beef love about living in his local area? “It’s Tassie!” he said. No more explanation needed. Greg’s family owned business operates across three properties totalling 5,500 hectares with over 4,000 head of cattle.
He appreciates the reliability of the landscape and the opportunity it provides to diversify operations and utilise regenerative practices. Greg has always been passionate about agriculture and began his career as a jackaroo at Connorville Station, Tasmania, in the 80’s and has proved to be a constant learner, completing his MBA in 2003 with a Double Major in Agribusiness and International Business through The University of New England, Armidale.
He has enjoyed a diverse career, including roles such as the General Manager of Falkland Landholdings Corporation on The Falkland Islands and the Business Manager of Hayes Prison Farm in Tasmania, before starting Musselroe Beef in 2009 in partnership with his brothers and sisters. Greg is also one of the Meat and Livestock Australia Producer Innovation Award finalists this year for his research into genetic gains made through sexed semen in a fixed time AI program.
“We lease two properties where we breed the cattle and own one where we fatten and finish them,” he said. Technology is utilised throughout Greg’s business and he thinks the more intuitive the technology is, the better.
“If you don’t harness technology then you will just get further and further behind. It’s all moving so fast and it’s sometimes a challenge to work out which technology platform is the best fit for you,” he said.
Greg had been using excel spreadsheets since 2006 and made the leap to become a MaiaGrazing client in 2017.
“The ability to forecast and make informed decisions via the analytics screen is what won me over. I rely on my team on the ground to input quality data and then through the MaiaGrazing analytics screen we are equipped to make qualified and efficient management decisions,” he said. “Being able to use grazing plans to forecast stocking levels and pressure enables us to make the best possible decisions. Although we are not always right, it’s a lot better than guessing, or even worse hoping.” Greg said.
It’s been an unusually dry time in Tassie during the last 18 months, so Greg has been focused on consolidating his operations and will then be looking at more potential leasing and freehold opportunities in the future.
Globally, Greg highlights China’s changing diet to being more protein-based as a significant opportunity.
“China is located on our doorstep and their quest for premium, protein products must be harnessed. The EU can’t be forgotten either as their income per capita is still higher than China’s,” he said.
He highlights bio-security as the biggest threat to the agricultural industry, along with production competitor nations Brazil and India.
“In terms of international export, we need trade negotiations to be handled sensitively. We need global political leaders who are moving the trading levers with their fingers, not their fists,” he said.
