On 3rd October 2023, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) announced a new feature allowing livestock consultants to access their client’s data from the Australian Feedbase Monitor (AFM) via MyMLA. This enhancement aims to provide more tailored advice to Australian red meat producers.
The AFM, introduced in November 2022, offers insights into a property’s ground coverage and feedback availability spanning a month.
This service is complimentary for MLA members who have a MyMLA account. Since its inception, the AFM tool, a collaborative effort between Cibo Labs and MLA, has been adopted by over 2,500 producers. These producers manage an impressive 76 million hectares of Australia’s agricultural land, leveraging the AFM’s data to make informed on-farm decisions.
This new feature facilitates producers in sharing their property data and reports with trusted advisors. Consequently, consultants can delve deeper into the data, ensuring their advice is more targeted to their client’s needs.
Alastair Rayner, the Extension and Adoption Manager at Cibo Labs, expressed his enthusiasm about this update. He mentioned that the ability to share data empowers consultants to offer genuine value to their producer clients.
He also highlighted that this feature had been in demand, and he is eager to observe how livestock advisors harness this information to enhance their client’s profitability.
Analysing AFM data can lead to improved management decisions. For instance, it can assist in aligning property-level carrying capacity with stocking rates or pinpointing when supplementary feeding might be required due to decreased pasture growth.
Alastair added that the AFM has proven versatile in addressing various needs, from specific client requirements to understanding the long-term effects of natural events like droughts, fires, and floods.
In addition to the 30-day feedback monitor, producers can share their MyFarmKey property report, which offers a detailed overview of an individual property. For an extra charge, consultants can access additional reports, such as the Ground Cover and Woody Vegetation report and the Forest Carbon report.
Livestock consultants interested in accessing their client’s data can subscribe annually. The subscription fee is $250 for up to 25 properties and $1000 for up to 250. However, producers must grant permission to consultants to access their data and reports.
For more details, one can access the Australian Feedbase Monitor through MyMLA.
