WESTERN Australian Droughtmaster breeders gathered in the South West last month for a Droughtmaster Australia Western Zone meeting and they were joined by breed general manager Simon Gleeson.
Mr Gleeson, who has been in the role of general manager for five months, said the meeting was well-attended, with plenty of positive discussion.
"There was a lot of constructive discussion from the breeders on breed development, breed standards, promotion and marketing and potentially introducing society sponsored bull sales for Droughtmaster members in WA," Mr Gleeson said.
Also during the meeting Mr Gleeson went through the Droughtmaster society's new strategic plan 'The Road Ahead' which was released last November following a member's survey conducted last September.
Mr Gleeson said the primary aim of the strategic plan was to have the Droughtmaster recognised nationally throughout the entire supply chain (paddock to plate) as a breed that was developed in Australia to suit the Australian environment for its resilience and exceptional meat quality.
"To do this, there will be a greater focus on promoting, developing and protecting the breed and the brand which should also open up market opportunities for our members and enhance breed participation in the society," he said.
After his visit to WA Mr Gleeson said he believed there was a real opportunity for expansion of the Droughtmaster breed in WA given the markets available, both domestic and live export and also because Droughtmaster cattle were ideally suited to the climate.
"They are well suited to the WA environment and it is for this reason many large corporate bodies are using Droughtmaster sires for cross breeding programs in northern WA," Mr Gleeson said.
"The visit gave me a real insight into the WA market for Droughtmaster cattle and I think as a society we should look at allocating additional funding to promote and grow the breed in the State."
Western Zone director Clinton Gartrell, Clinlee Plains stud, Kirup, said it was good to get the WA members together for the meeting and have some constructive discussion as a group as we haven't done it for a while.
"The meeting was a good starting point to get some unity within the WA members," Mr Gartrell said.
"It was also good to have Simon come over and meet the members and give us a run down on plans for the society nationally.
"From the discussions we had with him, as a society I think he is well-positioned to take the breed forward in coming years."
The meeting was held at Busselton and following the meeting the group visited Dick Vincent's property to inspect some of his cattle and yearling bulls.
