Page 119 - 2020 NZ Hereford Magazine

Industry Focus

OBITUARY –

Australian beef

industry stalwart

Arthur

Rickards

WORDS JON CONDON
PHOTOGRAPH SUPPLIED
EDITED FROM AN ARTICLE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY
BEEF CENTRAL IN AUSTRALIA.

ARTHUR RICKARDS, who made an enormous contribution to
genetic progress and agribusiness in the Australian beef cattle
industry over almost half a century, died last year aged 77.
Arthur spent four decades initiating and driving the
Agricultural Business Research Institute (ABRI) out of Armidale
in New South Wales. His defining achievement from the beef
industry’s perspective was arguably the development and
implementation of today’s Breedplan, the industry’s world-
class objective performance recording system now widely used 2000s
across Australia and a number of overseas countries. Internet Solutions information system; the ILR2 advanced breed
He established ABRI in 1970 with just two staff. Over registry system; sub-contract management of certification
the next 40 years under his guidance, ABRI developed and/ of genetic exports – providing quality control to Australia’s
or implemented many of the innovative technologies that genetic exports worldwide; establishment of Southern Beef
have made significant contributions to Australian agriculture, Technology Services – with TBTS this has created a national
particularly in its livestock industries. new-generation beef breeding extension service; and the
launch of HerdMASTER 4, a new release of the Saltbush Herd
Broken down by the decades in which they first appeared, Management System with on-farm and central functionality.
these included: The provision of high-quality breed registry databases
and the Breedplan Genetic Analysis system enabled ABRI to
1970s expand its services internationally, so that by 2010, ABRI had a
Launching of the National Beef Recording Scheme; farm presence in some 20 countries including the US, Canada, the
financial benchmarking; and farm financial planning using linear UK, South Africa and New Zealand.
programming. By 2010, ABRI had some 60 employees and an annual
turnover of around $10 million.
1980s After formal retirement in 2011, he continued on in a part-
The adventurous New England Computerised Marketing time business management role at ABRI.
sale-by-description system for livestock, the predecessor to In 2017, Arthur took on the role as president of the Australian
Computer Aided Livestock Marketing (CALM), and later still, Registered Cattle Breeders Association, the peak body for
today’s Auctions Plus; and rejuvenating Australia’s beef genetic breed associations that he founded with his great friend Dick
resources after 40 years of closure, through the importation of Vincent in about 1975. He organised the inaugural Young Breed
cattle via Cocos Island Quarantine Station. Leaders workshop in Brisbane in late 2017 and the second in
Armidale last year.
1990s Arthur received an Order of Australia medal in 1996 and
International marketing of breed registry and Breedplan systems; an Honorary Doctorate from the University of New England in
and the establishment of Tropical Beef Technology Services 2003, in recognition of his achievements and contribution to
(TBTS), a new generation beef breeding extension programme. Australian agriculture.

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