Next month the NSW Department of Primary Industries will launch an exciting new beef cattle package, designed to help producers plan their cattle breeding program for the next five years.

Titled 'Developing a Breeding Plan for your Beef Herd', the package is different from anything previously released by the DPI beef section.

It involves 13 beef producers based in different production environments around the State, who are producing cattle for a range of markets.

These producers discuss their herds’ breeding plan, the breeding system they use, the selection tools to help them pick the right cattle and the way in which they manage the herd.

Each producer has been selected because they excel in several or all these areas.

They discuss how they have concentrated in these four areas to lift profits, and how other producers can replicate their methods.

The selected producers run cattle in vastly different environments.

The northern and central coasts, tableland country and slopes and plains are all represented.

Straight breeding and crossbreeding are on show, and the domestic vealer, butcher shop and supermarket, Certified Australian Angus Beef, Japanese trade, European Union and feeder steer trade are all represented.

Stories told in the producers’ own words, rather than ‘howto’ advisory messages, make this program different.

What also makes it different is the technology it uses.

Each producer has been interviewed and their property and herd video taped.

The package uses the latest communications technology to bring these producers into the farm office and lounge room.

The information is contained on a DVD, playable onto the family television.

The DVD’s navigation menu enables viewers to go to any producer on the disc, to their district or market, and to see how others plan their cattle breeding.

It’s like a series of farm visits around NSW on a disc.

It also contains a CD which can be played on the office computer.

This contains each of the full interviews of all 13 producers.

It also contains a large amount of technical information, supporting the skills and techniques used by the producers.

The package will be launched in July at the Mudgee Small Farms Field day.

It can be purchased there, or by contacting the DPI bookshop at Orange, or the Albury office.