As one of Australia’s most experienced and respected agricultural journalists, Jon Condon has been part of the fabric of the nation’s meat and livestock industry for his entire life.
For 33 years he has specialised in reporting on the livestock sector, earning the trust and confidence of key stakeholders across the industry and developing a reputation for accurate, credible and informative reporting.
He spent his early life in the Northern Territory, where his family built and operated a successful export beef processing plant at Katherine, and an extensive cattle property in the East Kimberley.
He holds a Business degree in marketing and communications and spent the majority of his early career with Rural Press Ltd. In January 2011 he established a new business with fellow journalist, James Nason, launching the Beef Central website and a specialised red meat industry communications consultancy.
He has received numerous industry and government awards and acknowledgements for his professional writing over the past three decades, including:
The Premier of Queensland’s Export Achievement Award 1997
Dalgety National Rural Journalism Awards 1985, 1990
Red Meat Industry Innovation Awards (Excellence in media category) 2002.
He is widely regarded as an authoritative commentator on beef industry affairs and regularly chairs significant national and regional industry events for the lotfeeding, live export and production sectors.
As a communications specialist, Jon has contributed towards the development of major livestock industry programs such as the Red Meat Industry Strategic Plan 2010-15. He also sat for some years on the National Beef Genetics Extension Committee.
He has co-authored two books on industry affairs – both histories – based on the Australian lotfeeding industry and Stanbroke Pastoral Company.