27 Sep ICMJ names Australian meat judging team to tour US
Five outstanding university students have been selected to the Australian ICMJ team to compete in the United States meat judging circuit and tour the US red meat industry.
Sarah Hamblin, Shania Gough and Holly Johnson from the University of Queensland, Georgie Laurie from the University of New England, and Angus Bartter from Charles Sturt University, were chosen from a field of talented and passionate students who took part in the ICMJ AUS-MEAT Intensive Education and Development Week in Queensland this week.
The program exposed students to the operations of some of Australia’s major feedlots, processors and further processing plants including Mort & Co’s Grassdale feedlot, NH Foods Oakey Beef Exports, SunPork Group’s state-of-the-art pork processing facility, Swickers Kingaroy, Hilton Foods Heathwood, Teys Australia central cold store at the Port of Brisbane and Organic Collagen Australia.
They also took part in professional development sessions to equip them with the communication skills essential for future red meat industry leaders.
Newly appointed Australian ICMJ coaches, Molly Greentree and Macky Lawrence, will lead the group of five students on a three-week industry tour of the US in early 2024.
Molly Greentree said it was a difficult selection process with such a high-calibre group of participants.
“They are a brilliant group of individuals and all of them deserve the opportunity, so it was very hard to select the top five,” she said.
“But we can rest assured that the industry is in very good hands with all these individuals who are passionate about making an impact and driving the industry forward,” she said.
Macky Lawrence, a former Australian ICMJ team member said the US tour was a unique opportunity for students to see first-hand how the industry operates in one of the largest red meat producing countries in the world.
“ICMJ’s mission is to inspire and develop the next generation of leaders in the global red meat industry and the US tour is the pinnacle of the ICMJ program,” he said.
“It provides students with a real-world understanding of where Australia fits in the global industry and where our strengths and opportunities lie, plus see first-hand where Australian red meat ends up in one of our largest export markets,” he said.
ICMJ’s Intensive Education and Development Week is sponsored by AUS-MEAT.
ICMJ is supported by foundation partners, Meat and Livestock Australia and Australian Meat Processor Corporation as well as a range of industry sponsors.
If you would like to support the ICMJ program or sponsor the ICMJ US Industry tour please get in touch via icmjsponsorship@gmail.com