Young beef dynamo Nancy Crawshaw on pulling together to lift the whole industry

The 27-year-old, who grew up on a sheep and beef property at Oxford in New Zealand, is already well-versed on so many aspects of the beef supply chain, from animal genetics and processing logistics to communicating the value of the industry to wider society.

Still, she seeks out opportunities to gain a greater perspective of all things beef, to hear different opinions and to discuss new ways of approaching challenges.

She was the New Zealand winner of the 2024 Zanda McDonald Award which she sees as a perfect vehicle for doing just that.

Her job today is as an extension officer for Angus Australia in NZ, which is all about training others but she says the one-on-one farm visits and field days she spends her work day on are actually teaching her just as much.

"I'm learning about what producers are doing and why and the different perspectives they have on everything from the environment to breeding," she said.

"Two neighbours can be so different - what drives them and what makes them money."

One conclusion she has already reached is that mindset and the way challenges are framed can influence so much in the beef game.

"The environmental challenge is a common concern but people look at it very differently," Ms Crawshaw said.

"How they approach drought, climate change - whether they see a bushfire as a total 'we've lost everything' disaster or a chance to rebuild the operation into what they always wanted.

"COVID was similar. Everyone was extremely affected and some people, like me, were stranded overseas.

"But people in Australia took me under their wing. I was welcomed into homes and I gained a new Australian family. That was a privilege."

Ms Crawshaw studied agricultural science at university, which included a semester at Colorado University under a study abroad program where she was "exposed to the wonders of meat science."

That planted the seed for wanting to learn more about the processing business.

"Many of us breed cattle for years with minimum feedback and are unaware of just how much is involved after the animal leaves the property," she said.

"So much happens between the farmgate and the consumer."

She spent five years with Teys Naracoorte in South Australia working in quality assurance.

She took on the Australian job as a graduate year placement but stayed on much longer, experiencing meat processing through COVID, the run of record cattle prices and last year's market plummet.

"I learnt so much from that but always knew longterm I wanted to be in farming, working with people in cattle," she said.

She believes the single largest challenge the beef industry - and agriculture in general - is facing is attracting the right people and retaining them by offering platforms for them to grow.

"I haven't figured out the how and why of this but I want to work on it," she said.

Underpinning her optimism in the industry is the outlook for beef demand.

"The forecasts we are hearing right now should make us excited," she said.

"When I worked with Teys I saw record lows to record highs in cattle prices and I learnt how much market dynamics could really underpin the fortunes of a producer.

"So often we look at things through a farmer lens or just a processor efficiency lens but there is so much driving our industry.

"We are experts at breeding and growing animals but know so little about what happens after it leaves the farmgate. Equally, in processing there are a lot of experts on efficiency and throughput with little understanding about how changes in animal diets or management affect the outcome and ultimate profitability of meat production.

"The more we understand the other steps of the supply chain, the more we start pulling together and lift the entire industry up."