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Clean, green & on screen: the modern cattle station

Speedy adoption of proven technology, rather than innovation, is a successful model for agriculture as technology substantially alters the industry, fourth-generation grazier Richard Hughes says.

Hughes, who operates Wentworth Station in Queensland, says rapid adoption of working technology is vital as the export market for beef into Asia grows exponentially.  

“The biggest thing is communications and the internet,” he said. “We have water-monitoring systems, we have Bluetooth connections we for weigh scales [and] drafting.” 

"We’re not really innovators ourselves – we’re adaptors.” – Richard Hughes

‘We’re not really innovators ourselves – we’re adaptors, and we adopt things pretty early in the piece” he says.  

Clean, green & on screen

Hughes said Asia’s expanding middle class and its attraction to higher-quality beef product was a big opportunity for Australian graziers.

“We have a clean, green image in Australia I think is very important,” he said. “It’s something we have to promote a lot more in those countries.”

He also touched on the importance of family succession in agriculture. Watch the video above to find out more.

Simone Stella is a bluenotes contributor 

The views and opinions expressed in this communication are those of the author and may not necessarily state or reflect those of ANZ.

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