The TNQ Drought Hub had the pleasure of being a Gold Sponsor of the Charters Towers Northern Beef Producers Expo on the 2 -3 June.

The highlight of the weekend was talking to school students about their future goals and aspirations for the agricultural industry and agricultural career paths available to them through James Cook University.

As well as hosting a stall, hub Director David Phelps, Senior Research Officer Ana Carla Leite De Almeida and Digital Ag Innovation Consultant Kara-Glenn Worth were all invited to present during the Keynote Speakers sessions.

David presented an overview of the hub and the concept of resilience and Ana spoke on her research around Environmental, Social and Governance Framework and Analysis. Kara spoke about the tool she is developing which will help a property or farm do an analysis to see what opportunities and tools are out there that they could implement to increase productivity.

Kara said, “Attending the Northern Beef Producers Expo as a speaker was an invaluable opportunity to learn and engage with regional producers. It was a chance to better understand the context of our work at the TNQ Drought Hub, and it was a wonderful experience to see firsthand how the tools we are developing can have real and impactful results for the wider agricultural community.

This immersive experience really fuelled inspiration and nurtured a deep understanding of the opportunities, challenges and pathways of collaboration that lie ahead. It was such a pleasure to attend the Expo and leave with more hope than ever for a bright and sustainable future for agriculture.”