Beef division winners Beth Richmond and grandson Jack, Rosegrange Pastoral Co, Little River, Victoria, with JBS Southern Chief Operating Officer Sam McConnell and Great Southern Brand Marketing Manager Harriet Brawne

ALL-round performers with the ability to deliver on the hooks, as well as in the paddock, were the major winners in the 2025 JBS Great Southern Producer of the Year awards presented in Melbourne on Friday night.

JBS Southern’s Farm Assurance program – the largest certified grassfed brand program in the world –  celebrated its fourth producer awards, recognising prominent beef and lamb producers for achieving excellence in grassfed cattle and lamb production standards.

Reflecting the tightness of both beef and lamb competitions, only 13 points separated first and tenth places in beef standings, and ten points among the top ten lamb suppliers.

This year’s strong results were all the more noteworthy, given the extensive drought impact across much of the Great Southern program beef and lamb supply footprint.

Friday night’s awards event brought together more than 650 JBS Great Southern beef and lamb suppliers from across Victoria, southern NSW, Tasmania and eastern regions of South Australia, along with key Great Southern meat customers, service providers and other stakeholders.

The dinner followed a day-long conference program that explored themes including sustainability, traceability, ag technology adoption, supply chain volatility and how the industry engages with the broader community on environmental and other topics. Stories on these topics to follow.

The Supplier of the Year awards, last celebrated in 2023, are based on a point-score system factoring-in grading performance against MSA and company specifications, the percentage of consignment cattle that had an MSA index score over 60 and 65, and number of head supplied. The scores were weighted towards the more challenging seasonal supply quarters two and three.

Victorians, South Australians take top awards

This year’s beef category winners were Jock and Jane Richmond from Rosegrange Pastoral Co, Little River, Victoria, who achieved an outstanding score of 81.83 points. Beth and Jack Richmond accepted the award on behalf of the family operation. Collecting the award on their behalf were

Runners-up were the previous (2023) award winners, Roger & Missy Wilkinson, Ardsley Pastoral Co, Bathurst, New South Wales, pictured below.

Lamb division

In the lamb category, Tallegeira Pastoral Co operated by Charlie and Jo Koch near Frances, South Australia, claimed the win with an exceptional score of 99.60 points. Runners-up just a tenth of a point behind were the 2023 award winners, the Williams Family, Willswood, Bordertown, South Australia. Full placings for beef and lamb listed below.

Lamb division winners Charlie and Jo Koch, Tallegeira Pastoral Co, Frances, South Australia, with JBS Southern Chief Operating Officer Sam McConnell and Brand Marketing Manager Harriet Brawne

Several other important awards were made on the night.

The Sustainability Award went to Rob & Joan Liley, Fish Creek, Gippsland, who were recognised for their low carbon emission impact and commitment to leading with sustainability within the JBS Farm Assurance program and over the course of their careers. The award was presented by Dr Stephen Weidemann of IntegrityAg, pictured below with the Lileys.

Two Next Generation awards were presented to young beef and lamb suppliers. The Next Gen Beef award went to Ben McIntosh, Albury, NSW, with the equivalent Lamb award to Daniel Brown Padthaway, South Australia.

NextGen Beef Winner Ben Mcintosh with JBS’s Harriet Brawne and Sam McConnell

JBS Australia Photography By Paul A. Broben – 0418757727 – brobes.com

Recognition of commitment

JBS Southern chief operating officer Sam McConnell, said the awards recognised the commitment of JBS Farm Assurance and its top-performing producers to providing customers in Australia and overseas with the highest quality grassfed red meat.

“Everything we do comes back to one simple purpose: to create transparency between producer, processor, and consumer. When we connect the whole chain, honestly and openly, we don’t just tell a good story – we build a better one,” Mr McConnell said.

“Our awards night is about recognising our producers for sharing this commitment to transparency and excellence with us,” he said.

Relationship-based business

JBS Southern livestock manager Steve Chapman said JBS Farm Assurance worked closely with its engaged producers, where every link in the chain had an impact on eating quality and consistency.

“JBS Farm Assurance has a fantastic relationship with its suppliers, who have shown enormous commitment to our Farm Assurance Program. This commitment allows us to consistently deliver a product that tastes exceptional and is better for the consumer, and the farmer.

“We can be fully assured of our claims; grassfed, free-range, antibiotic free, GM-free and no added hormones, because of the rigorous standards set by our Farm Assurance program,” Mr Chapman said.

Transparency

JBS Southern head of sales Robert Ryan attributes Great Southern’s popularity with consumers to the market’s increased expectation of transparency across the value chain and assured sustainable production.

“Great Southern brands continue to fulfil increasing expectations for premium proteins produced by Australia’s best-in-class farmers,” he said. “Our customers place utmost trust in the program’s guarantee, knowing they will consistently receive products of superior eating quality that were produced sustainably across all aspects of the value chain.”

JBS Australia’s Southern division produces a range of premium beef and lamb products out of four processing sites in Victoria, Tasmania and NSW. The division operates multiple premium brands including Great Southern beef and lamb (beef includes the premium marbling segmented sub-brands Pinnacle and Little Joe), Hereford Boss and King Island Beef.

Producers supplying the brands are underpinned by the JBS Farm Assurance program, a third-party certification program that certifies producers’ raising claims.

The wider event on Friday celebrated JBS’s Farm Assurance’s commitment to creating transparency between producer, processor and consumer.

“Trust in the industry starts with clarity: clarity about how livestock are raised, and how meat is processed, and where food really comes from,” the audience heard. “For producers, it’s about JBS Farm Assurance providing recognition that ultimately creates confidence in every purchase for consumers.”

JBS 2025 Farm Assurance Award Winners

 Top 10 JBS Farm Assurance Beef Producers:

• 1st (81.83 points): Rosegrange Pastoral Co – The Richmond Family (Jock & Jane), Little River, Victoria
• 2nd (80.92 points): Ardsley Pastoral Co – Roger & Missy Wilkinson, Bathurst, New South Wales
• 3rd (72.73 points): PJK & L Wadley – Linton & Alana Wadley, Wangaratta, Victoria
• 4th (71.69 points): Peter Watson – King Island, Tasmania
• 5th (70.31 points): BJ & PJ Smith – Brian Smith (accepted by Emalee Hampton), Lake Mundi, Victoria
• 6th (69.78 points): Kaicowrie Pty Ltd – Alan and Justin Kain, Penola, South Australia
• 7th (69.78 points): VF Holdings – Steve & Anne Ward, West Kentish, Tasmania
• 8th (69.03 points): Tieman Sands Discretionary Trust – Bernard Tieman (accepted by Michael Foote), Leongatha, Victoria
• 9th (68.51 points): Jason Watson – Jason Watson (accepted by Jason Ronalds), Poowong, Victoria
• 10th (68.47 points): Ashford Trust – Jason Griffin, Deloraine, Tasmania

Top 10 JBS Farm Assurance Lamb Producers:

• 1st (99.6 points): Tallegeira Pastoral Co – Charlie Koch, Frances, South Australia
• 2nd (99.51 points): Willswood – Williams Family, Bordertown, South Australia
• 3rd (95.16 points): Girrawheen Station – Tom Palmer, Mildura, Victoria
• 4th (95.11 points): O’Sullivan Trading – Sam O’Sullivan, Elmore, Victoria
• 5th (94.41 points): Parilla Premium Potatoes Pty Ltd – Mark & Fiona Pye, Parilla, South Australia
• 6th (93.92 points): Stockman Stud – Andrew McShane, Tasmania
• 7th (92.12 points): Neuarpurr Plains Pty Ltd – Tracey & Suzanne Adams, Frances, South Australia
• 8th (91.56 points): Mount Manara Pastoral Co – Ivanhoe, New South Wales
• 9th (90.69 points): Lelma Pastoral Group – Pooncarie, New South Wales
• 10 Place (89.84 points): Trawalla – Richmond Family, Trawalla