FOR a room full of young people looking to make their way in the beef industry, it was hard not to be captured by the story of 24-year-old Jimmy Bellingham – whose contract mustering and labour hire business now extends across three states or territories in Northern Australia.

Jimmy Bellingham from Bellingham Contract Mustering. Photo: Young Beef Producers Facebook page

Jimmy made the trip down to Roma from Katherine in the NT for the annual Young Beef Producers’ Forum to share the story of how opportunity in the northern cattle industry saw him delay university three times and start his own business.

“It’s still early days in our journey, and the opportunity for study will always be there,” he told the crowd.

“For now, we find great benefit in understanding the fundamentals of cattle behaviour and handling — the foundation of producing beef efficiently and ethically.”

Having grown up on cattle stations in Queensland’s Gulf Country and on the Barkly Tablelands, Jimmy had planned to be an engineer at boarding school before changing his mind and booking into an agribusiness degree.

“Still, I yearned for freedom and time to think. My short-term answer was to head to the Kimberley for a gap year, working for a corporate company as a station hand.

“After deferring my agribusiness course, I stayed for another season – I was having too much fun. The work ethic, the scenery, the independence, and the sense of community completely captured me.”

At 19-years-old, Jimmy was given the opportunity to run his own mustering camp by a family business in the Northern Territory.

“Over the next few years, I applied for and deferred two more tertiary courses, still believing university was the path I should take to make the most of my opportunities and contribute to the industry.

“There was also the lingering stigma that northern stock camps were simply a short-term experience rather than a legitimate career.”

The family he was working for then told Jimmy that he was capable of running his own business and helped him come up with a payment plan to secure the equipment needed to run a contract mustering business (camp, horses, and a truck).

“I was struck by the honesty and faith they placed in me — something I hadn’t often encountered in the industry until then. I’d been trusted before, but never had someone express such genuine confidence in my potential,” he said.

“I now try to pass that same honesty and belief onto my own employees, encouraging them to see the potential I see in them.”

The first contracts for Bellingham Contract Mustering were secured on the stations in the Kimberley where Jimmy did his gap year.

“I built a small team of people who, thankfully, trusted me in my new venture, even though it was little more than a vague start-up at the time,” he said.

“Every year since that first season, I’ve challenged myself to expand the business, increasing staff and plant while staying grounded in the fundamentals: working cattle correctly and treating people with respect.”

Jimmy Bellingham speaking at the Young Beef Producers forum.

The business has grown to operate across the Kimberley, the Northern Territory and the Gulf Country of Qld – some of the clients include AACo, CPC, Harvest Road and Georgina Pastoral.

It also provides labour hire for work like fencing and water development, herd management and staff training.

Bringing the family business full circle

This year Jimmy’s brother Hughie joined the business to run one of the stock camps. They also help their parents fill their labour requirements on their properties in North-West Queensland.

“Hughie’s path has been similar to mine, though academically he outshone me and could have pursued almost any tertiary opportunity offered to him.

“Yet, he too feels drawn to the hands-on, ground-level involvement of cattle work at this stage of his career.”

Jimmy said the collaboration with his parents is a mark of their success.

“I had always assumed I’d stay away and forge my own route to becoming a landowner or grazier.

“But to their credit, my parents have built something that now requires more hands-on support, and both Hughie and I have been eager to help. I’m grateful they never pushed their own agenda on us, instead allowing us to explore every possible avenue along the way.”

Technology can’t replace the human element

Jimmy said there was no doubt that technology and artificial intelligence were playing a major role in the day-to-day operations of the northern cattle industry.

“The efficiency and insight they offer are incredible, and I see huge potential in how AI can support better decision-making and productivity,” he said.

However, he said there was no replacement for the people that underpin the cattle industry.

“Technology can process data, but it can’t read cattle.

“It can’t feel the tempo of a mob moving through the yards or sense the change in mood when the cattle are disturbed.

“It doesn’t replace the quiet communication between a stockman and his mob, or the instinct that comes from years of watching and learning from both animals and people.

“What we do out there requires feel — that combination of intuition, patience, and respect that you can’t program into a computer. While technology can enhance what we do, it should never replace the humanity at the core of it.”

Maintaining connection to people

Mr Bellingham said it was important cattle companies in Northern Australia kept the welfare of animals and people at its core.

“Through contract mustering, my employees are exposed to a wide variety of operations — some that set the standard, and others with room for improvement. This exposure gives them the perspective and confidence to form their own opinions and shape the future pathways they choose.

“Processes such as large-scale mustering, data collection, herd segregation, and cattle handling in varying conditions are fundamental to maximising herd and business potential.

“Staff can feel pressured to deliver outcomes even when it conflicts with their values of how cattle should be treated.

“We must ensure that our drive for efficiency doesn’t come at the expense of our commitments to animal welfare or the wellbeing of the younger generation entering the industry. We need to build a culture that values the balance between innovation and empathy, between technology and the timeless skill of working cattle well.”