Helping foster data expertise in the red meat industry

From traceability to biosecurity to improving on-farm decision-making, data plays an integral part in Australia’s modern red meat industry.   

To help meet this need, MLA has established a $2.4 million NextGen Data Capability Program to  foster the next generation of data specialists and pursue opportunities for digital transformation across industry. 

This strategic initiative is jointly funded by Charles Sturt University and MLA Donor Company, with oversight provided by Integrity Systems.

About the NextGen partnership 
Building on the priorities outlined in MLA’s 2030 Strategic Plan, the NextGen partnership will help lead industry-wide data and artificial intelligence (AI) transformation by creating real-world problem-solving opportunities for students skilled in data science, data engineering, artificial intelligence, and analytics. 

The outcomes will help strengthen the Australian red meat supply chain’s position as a world leader in traceability, transparency, and decision-making.   

Participating students will be academically supervised and supported by Charles Sturt University, while working side-by-side with Integrity Systems staff to deliver defined project outcomes with opportunities to present their work through regular showcases.   

More than a dozen students will have the opportunity to work on priority data use cases such as:  

• improving production efficiency while maintaining product quality 
• opportunities to drive higher returns through growth and value optimisation
• AI-driven insights from research libraries
• carbon footprint calculation per animal to estimate emissions and support sustainability goals, and 
• enhanced products and operations through customer insight analytics.