VICTORIAN sheep and beef producers will come together for the first time to hold annual conferences on consecutive days in Bendigo this year.

For the first time, BestWool/BestLamb and BetterBeef are joining forces to run their annual conferences on consecutive days to provide the latest information in the beef and sheep industries, including research, extension and current industry issues and developments.

The annual BestWool/BestLamb conference will again be held at the Bendigo Exhibition Centre on June 27, the day after BetterBeef conference.

A joint conference dinner will tie the two days together on the evening of Tuesday June 26, although organisers are yet to decide if beef or lamb will be served to producers.

BestWool/BestLamb program co-ordinator Cathy Mulligan said the changes made sense in terms of pooling resources and the hiring of equipment and the Bendigo Exhibition Centre at the showgrounds.

“By having the dinner in the middle, we hoped to get sheep and cattle producers coming to both days.

“We know through our BestWool/BestLamb and BetterBeef groups that many like to cover both topics and many of the members have sheep and cattle.”

BetterBeef rationalises two conferences into Bendigo event

The BetterBeef Network usually holds annual conferences in the north-east and south-west of Victoria, and in East Gippsland at Bairnsdale in August.

BetterBeef Network project leader Darren Hickey said the Bairnsdale conference is still going very strong and it will be continued this year, but this year the two other regional events will be replaced by the Bendigo event.

“We’re hoping the producers who would ordinarily attend the sheep conference might attend the beef conference as well – I think there will be something of interest for everyone.

“We will obviously target beef producers in those regions, but I suppose we might find ourselves getting some additional attendees who might not ordinarily go to a beef conference,” he said.

Mr Hickey said the dinner might have to have beef and lamb on the menu.

“Or we might just serve fish instead and save the arguments.

“I’m not in charge of the catering, but we always go for high quality local produce, that’s for sure.”

For more details on BestWool/BestLamb click here.

For more details on the BetterBeef Network click here.