What 80,000 head of cattle taught us about the power of data

The National Landcare Conference on the Gold Coast last month brought together producers, industry leaders and community groups for a few days of conversation about where Australian agriculture is heading. For the Ruminati team, it was one of those events that reminds you why the work matters.

The story that stayed with us came from Ian Perkins and Cass Stevens of the NB2 Indigenous Group. Managing over 3.5 million hectares and 80,000 head of cattle, their approach blends cultural knowledge with western science in a peer-to-peer learning model that's building genuinely sustainable beef businesses from the ground up. It's a long way from a whiteboard presentation about emissions factors, and it was a useful reminder that the best land management thinking in this country often comes from people who've been doing it for generations.

Will Onus joined Landcare Agriculture's Ang Hammond to talk with producers about emissions tracking: what it looks like on the ground, why getting a baseline in place now is worth the effort, and how the

data producers are already capturing can start to tell a more complete story about their business. Those conversations are always more useful in person, away from the inbox, and this was no exception.

It was also encouraging to see how many young producers were in the room and genuinely engaged- asking hard questions, sharing ideas and clearly thinking seriously about the future of their businesses. That energy doesn't always show up in the headlines, but it was hard to miss on the floor.

For Will, the conference was also a chance to reconnect with partners including Rabobank Australia's Tim Dellit and Sam Haeney, Talulah Gaunt from The a2 Milk Company, and grazier Melinee Leather, conversations that matter as much as the sessions themselves.

Thanks to Ang Hammond and the Landcare Australia team for pulling it together. We'll be back.