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Northern Beef Futures
Business Improvement Grants Program
Information for applicants
The Northern Beef Futures (NBF) Business Improvement Grants Program is an incentive to
enable commercial cattle producers in the pastoral regions of the Kimberley and Pilbara to
enhance their competitiveness and growth prospects, by connecting them with business
advice and mentoring support.
Under the program, approved applicants are eligible for reimbursement of up to a maximum
of $25 000 (ex GST) for engaging a consultant to conduct a business improvement review
and assist with the implementation of business improvements to meet the domestic and
export market specifications and demand for WA beef and live cattle.
The incentive funding available under this program is paid as reimbursement for the costs of
professional fees incurred in the preparation of a business improvement plan and in the
scoping and implementation of the prioritised strategies that will benefit the business.
The application and consultant’s assessment proposal should be completed with reference
to these information notes.
Applications can be completed online on the Northern Beef Futures page of the
Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) website
agric.wa.gov.au/r4r/northern-beef-futures
Applications for the initial round of the Business Improvement Grants Program will
close on 1 April 2016 at 5.00pm.
Approval must be obtained prior to incurring any costs associated with engaging
professional business advice.
There is limited funding in the program. Applications will be considered on a first-come firstfunded basis, subject to program funding constraints.
Eligibility criteria
All commercial cattle producers including family businesses, companies and Indigenous
corporations in the Kimberley and Pilbara pastoral regions of Western Australia, as defined
by the boundaries outlined in the 2010 Pastoral Industry Survey (see map) are eligible to
apply.
Supporting your success
This project is made possible by
Royalties for Regions
The regions are defined as:
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In the Kimberley, the region extends from Carson River Station in the north to Wallal
Downs Station in the south-west and Lake Gregory Station in the south-east
In the Pilbara, the region extends from Pardoo Station in the north to Yanrey Station
in the south-west and the town of Newman in the south-east.
Only one application will be approved for each registered business, which may have multiple
pastoral leases or subleases.
Figure 1: District boundaries used for the 2010 Pastoral Industry Survey
Details of proposed consultancy
This program is an incentive to enable you to obtain independent professional advice to
benefit your business.
You will engage an independent professional with the necessary skills, qualifications and
experience to successfully complete your business review and business improvement plan.
The professional will have experience in at least one of the fields of business planning,
financial planning, agricultural consulting and northern pastoral beef production systems.
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You should contact your chosen consultant to seek firm quotations for the work to be
completed for the three stages of the business improvement review process and the
outcomes you wish to achieve. These quotes will need to be included within your application.
You should select the most suitable person to provide the consultancy as you will be
responsible for appointing them and preparing the terms of engagement.
A list of consultants may be available from the Kimberley Cattlemen’s Association
catherine@kimberleycattlemensassociation.com.au or the Australian Association of
Agricultural Consultants aaacwa.com.au/ to assist with this process.
Before commencing any work, you and your consultant must agree on:
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how long the process will take
how much the service will cost
the basis for charging
when, and how, you will receive a report (for example, your business may require a
paper copy, however, you will need to submit an electronic version of your executive
summary to NBF when claiming your reimbursement).
The business improvement review
The business improvement review is capped at $10 000 (ex GST).
The key elements for the business improvement review are:
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review of the current physical and financial performance of the business
develop a business improvement plan, or update a current business plan (less than
two years old) with executive summary for NBF reporting and reimbursement
identify and prioritise strategies to benefit and strengthen the pastoral business in
order to meet domestic and export market demand and specifications, and
provide mentoring support including annual reporting against Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs) for two years.
The NBF executive summary will include:
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specific KPIs that measure your productivity gains
prioritised strategies identified in your business improvement plan.
Essential KPIs
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kilograms (kgs) of beef produced / adult equivalent
labour efficiency ̶ adult equivalent / full-time equivalent
female sales (% of females sold)
average price received ($ per kg liveweight sold)
cost of production ($ per kg liveweight sold)
Desirable KPIs
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reproductive rate %
herd mortality rate %
sale weight / head sold (all sales)
gross value / head sold (all sales)
annual growth rate of weaners (or other classes of cattle)
The business improvement review process has three milestones, requiring individual
quotations, for reimbursement up to $10 000 (ex GST):
1. Completion of the business improvement review executive summary by 1 June 2016.
2. Annual review against the business improvement KPIs due by 31 May 2017.
3. Annual review against the business improvement KPIs due by 31 May 2018.
The business improvement implementation
The second part of this program provides incentives for approved applicants to implement
strategy(ies) as identified and prioritised in their business improvement plan.
You need to successfully complete your business improvement review and plan to benefit
from these incentives.
There is a total of $25 000 (ex GST) available for the business improvement review and the
business improvement implementation (part one and two inclusive). If you spend less than
$10 000 on part one, you may be eligible to use the residual funds to supplement the
additional $15 000 available for the implementation. Any costs that exceed $25 000 are your
responsibility and will not be reimbursed through this program.
Documents and payment details
Claims should include:
 an executive summary relating to identified KPIs, annual review against KPIs and
prioritised strategies for business improvement
 evidence of your payment of the consultant’s invoice
 a compliant tax invoice from your business to DAFWA (ABN 18 951 343 745) for the
amount approved (inc GST) and your application number.
Your application will include your banking details so you can be reimbursed within 30 days.
Applications can be made online at agric.wa.gov.au/r4r/northern-beef-futures
Further information:
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Northern Beef Futures
Northern Beef Development Centre
12 Gregory Street, BROOME WA 6725
Telephone: 08 9194 1488
Email: nbfgrants@agric.wa.gov.au
Important disclaimer
The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Agriculture and Food and the State of Western
Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or
release of this information or any part of it.
Copyright © Western Australian Agriculture Authority, 2015
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