Beef for a better planet: two days at the World Angus Forum in Brisbane

Twenty-six countries in one room, with a theme of Beef for a Better Planet- the World Angus Forum in Brisbane set itself up for a few days of big ideas, and it delivered.

The Ruminati Team: Bobby Miller, Will Onus and Lily Rodgers, were there for all of it, catching up with familiar faces (Justin and Jess from Breedr, Peter from Rabobank) and meeting plenty of new ones. The mix of producers, geneticists, researchers and industry from across the globe made for a particular kind of conversation, one that's harder to have when everyone's in their own corner of the industry.

Sinclair Munro opened by framing Angus Australia as a family of small business farmers (4,000 members strong!) which set a useful tone for everything that followed. Dr Jeannette Young's point that one in four cattle registered in Australia are Angus was a good reminder of the scale of influence the breed has on where the industry goes next.

The line that stuck most came from Michael Crowley at MLA: "The more efficient we are as an industry, the better our emissions intensity per kilogram of product." It's a connection Ruminati is built around because efficiency and emissions intensity are two sides of the same coin, and the producers who understand that are the ones best placed as the industry evolves.

Prof Frank Mitloehner's session on livestock and climate was another standout- a rigorous, science-based look at methane and what managing it well actually requires, delivered without the usual noise that surrounds this topic.

A jam-packed couple of days. The conversations continued well beyond the conference rooms, which is usually where the most useful ones happen.