AT just 20 years-old Adele Martin has cemented herself in the Western Australian beef industry by working for one of the State's largest beef producers and processors, Harvey Beef, which is owned by high-profile figures Andrew and Nicola Forrest.
Originally from Margaret River, Ms Martin grew up around Murray Grey cattle on her family's lifestyle farm and knowing that agriculture was something she always wanted to pursue, she completed her final three years of high school at the WA College of Agriculture, Harvey.
After school she spent some down time in Queensland enjoying her favourite pastime, playing polocrosse and then returned to WA to work for a horse stud before she secured a position with Harvey Beef in July 2018.
Ms Martin's first role in the company was working in yards at the processing facility at Harvey.
It involved washing and preparing cattle for processing, as well as moving them around the yards and general compliance of the cattle.
Five months later Ms Martin was promoted to her current position of livestock co-ordinator.
"I make sure everything is all in line before it goes into the boning room and with that comes liaising with the sales teams and the livestock buyers to make sure the cattle are going into the right market," Ms Martin said.
"I also keep an eye on the documentation of cattle and make sure they are correct."
Ms Martin works with a variety of people across the supply chain, such as farmers and agents by sending invoices and feedback sheets to them and about how their cattle have gone and in regards to future cattle.
When working in the yards Ms Martin said it took her some time to feel confident in herself and around the cattle.
"It's just about talking to them nicely, being in the right spots and when dealing with cattle that are a bit more on the wild side, it's about not getting yourself in situations that you can't get out of," she said.
"I kept telling myself I have done things like this before (at home and school) and just went from there and over time I got better and better.
"I was on the race for a while loading them in and so I think it took about three months before I really felt confident in the yards."
Becoming the livestock co-ordinator was a major step and the most challenging aspect of Ms Martin's time in the industry so far.
She quickly felt another level of responsibility on her shoulders, had to learn the computer system and understand the data received, along with co-ordinating people who before were her colleagues in the yards.
But Ms Martin has thrived in the role and it has driven her to learn more.
"If I wasn't sure of something I always asked questions and then I eventually got more confidence," she said.
A highlight on the calendar for Harvey Beef is the annual Harvey Beef Gate 2 Plate Challenge, which Ms Martin said was always an exciting time.
"It's a very busy time of year (late March to early April) and never dull, that's for sure," she said.
"I have got a lot out of it, like comparing each carcase and looking at all the data and what that means."
Delving into the carcase data for values such as weight, fat depth, quality grade and rib eye area is one of Ms Martin's favourite aspects of her job.
"Where and how the cattle were raised is reflected differently in the data," she said.
"Northern cattle and southern cattle look very different.
"Or if northern cattle come down and stay in the southern region for a while, that can change the data too and they still look different to cattle that were born in the south.
"Breeds also have a difference in data, some more than others."
Ms Martin hopes to develop more of an eye for knowing what a carcase would look like just by seeing it in the yards and then seeing them at each stage of the process of converting cattle to beef.
In the two-and-a-half years that she has worked at Harvey Beef, Ms Martin has enjoyed learning more about the beef industry and has been enlightened by just how interrelated the different sectors of the industry were.
"I find it interesting how one thing - big or small - can affect the whole industry, drought or grain prices," she said.
"All aspects of agriculture are entwined so when something changes it has a ripple effect on other areas of the industry, which can be good and bad."
Although working for a large company was a major change for Ms Martin to become accustomed to, she has felt supported along the way.
Agriculture is still a male-dominated industry from the grass roots right up to the helm of large corporations, but attitudes are changing to favour more women working in it.
Fortunately Ms Martin hasn't encountered much gender bias in the industry, which she said was unlikely due to the company's positive culture around gender parity.
With Harvey Beef owned by one of WA's most influential women, it's no surprise that Ms Martin was star-struck when she met Ms Forrest, which she said has been a highlight so far.
"Nicola enjoyed hearing everything about where we (Harvey Beef team) were at with everything and we spoke about what was happening in the business, what the future holds and the steps we will take as a company to get there," Ms Martin said.
"It was amazing how much she knew about what was happening in the company and she was interested in what we all had to say."
Although Ms Martin calls herself a "take it as it comes" type of person, she does have a vision for where she would like her career to go.
And it centres around her love of learning.
"I would like to have my own farm down the track but at first I would like to learn all the different parts of the industry," she said.
"Now I'm learning the abattoir side and I'd also love to learn about, feedlotting, cattle nutrition, cattle husbandry and how they all work together."
And with lived experience in at least a couple of those areas, you can expect she might become an industry leader down the track.
