AN outstanding lineup of international and Australian industry and societal speakers will headline the conference program during the grainfed beef industry’s biennial BeefEx conference on the Gold Coast in September.

One of the beef industry’s largest and most prominent gathering points, BeefEx 2026 promises this year to feature the grainfed beef industry’s biggest ideas, boldest thinkers and most celebrated moments.

Lotfeeders, producers, processors, researchers, service providers and supply chain partners from across Australia and overseas will gather for the conference on the Gold Coast from Tuesday to Thursday, 22-24 September.

Just some of the speaker highlights include:

North American lotfeeder Dr Kee Jim, (left) Blackshirt Feeders, Nebraska, who will share insights from one of the US’s most advanced 150,000-head feedlots.

Futurist Anders Sörman-Nilsson will lead a visionary look at the feedlot of 2040, bringing together industry experts and emerging technologies.

Former ANZ Chief Economist Saul Eslake will unpack the latest Deloitte analysis of Australia’s grain fed beef sector, examining capital flows, trade dynamics and political uncertainty shaping the industry’s future.

Three-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Glen Boss shares lessons on resilience, decision-making and backing yourself under pressure.

Chris Pyne served for twenty-six years in the Australian House of Representatives, including ministerial terms across the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments. His topic at BeefEx is Cancel culture, public trust and surviving judgement.

JBS Australia Northern division chief operating officer Brendan Tatt asks the question: What can growth in the grainfed sector look like?

Feedlot practitioner Arnel Corpuz (right) has worked in the feedlot industry in both his native Philippines and in Australia for the past 30 years, moving to Australia in 2004 to become one of the early Filipinos to work in the country’s commercial feedlot industry. He will discuss the growth of ‘New Australians at the feedbunk.’

BeefEx is held every two years, and is expected to attract more than 800 delegates this year from across the industry, in what will be its biggest program and trade exhibition to date.

This year’s program puts everything from global market forces to what the feedlot of 2040 looks like squarely in-frame.

Pivotal moment

Australian Lot Feeders Association president Grant Garey suggests that this year’s event arrives at a pivotal moment for the grainfed sector.

“BeefEx 2026 arrives at a genuinely exciting time for Australian grainfed beef. The sector continues to grow, with cattle turnoff rising 19pc in the past year, and in March 2026 represented 45pc of Australia’s total turnoff. The world is watching and the questions that are arising around trust, technology, people and the future have never mattered more. This year’s program reflects that,” Mr Garey said.

Some of the sharpest minds from inside and outside the industry were being brought together to challenge thinking and back stakeholders to go further, he said.

Other program highlights

The program opens on Wednesday with a striking session on people and purpose. Retired Australian Army Brigadier and defence academic Professor Ian Langford draws a powerful parallel between the culture of soldiers and the quiet commitment running through the feedlot workforce and what the wider world often fails to see behind the fence.

Food policy authority and former Special Representative for Australian Agriculture Su McCluskey puts the case for why agriculture must remain strong, trusted and future-ready in an era of geopolitical disruption and growing scrutiny of the food system.

In the next session, focussing on the big picture, former ANZ Chief Economist Saul Eslake will unpack the latest Deloitte analysis of Australia’s grain fed beef sector, examining capital flows, trade dynamics and political uncertainty shaping the industry’s future. He will then hand over to MLA General Manager of International Markets Andrew Cox, ALFA CEO Christian Mulders and JBS Australia COO Brendan Tatt for a panel discussion on what these global forces mean for Australian feedlots and the question that matters most to everyone in the room: what does all of this actually mean for Australian feedlots?

One of the standout sessions of BeefEx 2026 takes delegates inside one of the boldest feedlot builds in North America. Dr Kee Jim, founding partner of Blackshirt Feeders, will reveal the design decisions, commercial logic and practical innovation behind Nebraska facility using roller-compacted concrete and tighter systems to reduce footprint while lifting capacity.

Closer to home, Wagyu breeder and lot feeder Darren Hamblin will demonstrate how disruptive technology, including Wasserbauer Eco Shuttle Robots at his Struggle Downs feedlot on the Darling Downs, is driving growth and transformation when the data captured is put to optimal use.

Thursday’s program opens with the Chris Pyne’s address exploring what cancel culture, public trust and political survival can teach any industry that knows what it’s like to be watched, questioned and misunderstood.

Managing Director of Australian Eggs Rowan McMonnies follows with a practical guide to navigating community pressure on intensification drawn from the egg industry’s own experience. The arrival of avian influenza in Australia will only add gravitas to his presentation.

The centrepiece of the second day is a visionary session on the feedlot of 2040. Narrated by futurist Anders Sörman-Nilsson, the segment brings together scientists, lotfeeders and industry experts to stitch together a picture of what the Australian beef feedlot could look like in 2040, from induction to exit and the consumer beyond.

The program closes with three-times Melbourne Cup winning jockey Glen Boss reflecting on the moments that define you, and what it really takes to back yourself when everything is on the line.

Trade show

BeefEx 2026 will open its doors early on Tuesday afternoon 22 September with the biggest trade exhibition in the event’s history, giving delegates maximum time to navigate the full lotfeeding smorgasbord before the Performance Feeds Welcome Function at 5pm.

Tuesday also marks the launch of the Future Feeders Networking Function, hosted by the ALFA Future Feeders Network and sponsored by Freemantle Feeds. The session offers an interactive 90 minutes of VIP speakers and industry mentors, taking newcomers from bunks to boardwalks and providing a genuine opportunity to expand networks and rub shoulders with some of the industry’s finest.

The BeefEx Gala Dinner hosted by Coopers Animal Health on Wednesday evening will bring the industry together for an evening of celebration, including announcement of ALFA Award winners – Australian Feedlot of the Year, Young Lot Feeder of the Year and more – and the auction of the BeefEx Charity Bell in support of LifeFlight.

This year for the first time there is an option for a BeefEx Pre-Conference Feedlot Tour which will depart from the Gold Coast on the evening of Thursday 17 September, returning in time for the conference opening on 22 September.

 

Conference registrations are now open – click here to access 

Early bird registrations close August 15.