Paddock To Plate Tour connects supply chain insight with breeding decisions

SPI Youth brought together the next generation of Speckle Park producers and industry participants from 17 to 18 June 2026 for a two-day Paddock to Plate Tour and BredWell FedWell Workshop across South Australia’s Murray Bridge region and Adelaide Hills.

The program was designed to connect practical supply chain insight with breeding and feeding decisions, giving participants a clearer view of how genetics, preparation, management and market fit influence commercial outcomes.

Day one drew 25 participants for a firsthand look at the supply chain, from feedlot systems to farm gate decisions. The tour opened at Thomas Foods International’s Southern Cross Feedlot at Tintinara, where General Manager James Sage and Farm Assurance and Supply Chain Manager Mark Inglis hosted the group behind the gate of a major export-focused operation.

One message stood out strongly. Feedlot performance starts long before cattle leave home. Weaning, handling and preparation all influence how cattle settle, transition and perform later in the supply chain. Genetics set the potential, but preparation helps determine how much of that potential is realised.

From there, the group travelled to Dakara Farms at Murray Bridge, where Jake Altmann walked participants through the family’s beef-on-dairy program. Winners of both the Overall Farmer of the Year and Dairy Farmer of the Year titles in The Weekly Times Coles 2024 Farmer of the Year Awards, the Altmann family are increasing their use of Speckle Park genetics as part of their beef program.

For participants, it was a practical example of how Speckle Park genetics are finding a place beyond traditional beef herds, with growing relevance in dairy-beef systems where carcase value, growth, temperament and marketability all matter.

Day one of the SPI Youth Paddock to Plate Tour visited Thomas Foods International’s Southern Cross Feedlot at Tintinara on 17 June 2026, giving participants a firsthand look at feedlot systems, cattle preparation and the role genetics play in supply chain performance.

Day two shifted from supply chain insight to genetic decision making, with around 15 tour participants joining commercial producers and industry attendees from South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland for MLA’s BredWell FedWell workshop.

Hosted by Vaughn Johnston and family at Ewyn Speckle Park in the Adelaide Hills, the workshop was facilitated by industry consultant Jake Phillips and focused on how breeding and feeding decisions influence productivity, profitability and market outcomes.

Phillips’ central message was clear: profitability starts with conception. He introduced the 35-day window, the narrow period cows effectively have to get back in calf if they are to maintain a 365-day calving interval, and worked through the losses that can quietly build between conception, pregnancy testing, calving and weaning.

Industry consultant Jake Phillips facilitated MLA’s BredWell FedWell workshop at Ewyn Speckle Park on day two of the SPI Youth Paddock to Plate Tour

The discussion then turned to fit-for-purpose breeding. Producers were encouraged to match genetics to the market they supply, recognising that a bull suited to a long-fed feedlot program will not necessarily be the same bull needed for a grass-fed paddock-to-plate system, a self-replacing herd or a terminal program.

A live bull assessment put the theory into practice, sparking discussion around visual appraisal, structure, maturity pattern, scrotal size, muscle, sheath, colour and overall type. The group then worked through EBVs, Speckle Park’s four selection indexes and the bigger question behind every breeding decision: what outcome are you actually breeding for?

Across both days, the program reinforced the same commercial message. The opportunity for Speckle Park lies not only in producing cattle with genetic potential, but in preparing them well, breeding with purpose and understanding where they fit in the supply chain.

Special thanks to Mark Inglis and James Sage at TFI Southern Cross Feedlot, Jake Altmann and the Dakara Farms team, Vaughn and Kelly Johnston and family at Ewyn Speckle Park, David Kerber, and Jake Phillips from Phillips Livestock Solutions for their time, insights and support of the program. Thank you also to the SPI Youth organising team and SPI’s Maddie Brockhoff for coordinating such a valuable event.