From Individual Exposure to Collective Influence.
Better Beef Collective is a farmer-initiated collaboration connecting breeding, rearing, finishing and processing into a coordinated, data-backed beef system - enabled by the emergence of large-scale dairy operations entering the beef-on-dairy market, where reliable genetics and certainty of demand are essential.
Built on genetics, performance measurement and aligned incentives, the Collective shifts the focus from short-term price cycles to long-term system improvement - providing the structure and confidence required to support scale, consistency, and better outcomes across the supply chain.
The Problem
The Traditional Spot Market Was Never Built for Scale or Certainty
New Zealand beef farmers operate in one of the most variable production environments in the world. Yet despite high levels of skill, investment, and innovation, beef price remains largely outside farm control.
The traditional spot market exposes farmers to cycles they do not influence. When markets rise, we did not create the price. When they correct, we equally have no control over the outcome.
This uncertainty drives daily compromise across the supply chain - limiting planning and forcing reactive decision-making. Farmers and processors are required to respond to unknown supply and demand, sacrificing efficiency in pursuit of flexibility. The purchase of animals with unknown genetics, health status, and early-life nutrition further compounds this - introducing variability, constraining performance, and making consistent outcomes for farmers and customers difficult to achieve.
The Better Beef Collective focuses on what can be influenced - aligning genetics, data around performance, health and nutrition with dedicated supply to shift from reacting to the market, to shaping outcomes within it.
The Better Beef Collective focuses on what can be influenced.
Driving Value Through Collaboration
The Better Beef Collective connects breeding, rearing, finishing and processing into a coordinated performance loop.
At the centre sits Beef Central™ - a platform extending Rissington’s large, multi-generational seedstock database to include commercial farm performance and carcass outcomes, linking genetics, health and nutrition to real-world results and enabling benchmarking across the entire supply chain.
The result is measurable improvement, aligned incentives and system-level consistency.
What Drives Long-Term Value
The Better Beef Collective focuses on measurable drivers that compound over time. These are the production factors farmers can influence directly, regardless of where the schedule sits.
Kg Beef per Hectare
Total output relative to land use. Productivity per hectare determines long-term system efficiency.
Age at Slaughter
Earlier finishing improves capital turnover and reduces exposure to seasonal volatility.
Days-to-Finish
Shorter finishing periods improve feed conversion efficiency and cost discipline.
Higher yielding, specification-consistent cattle strengthen processor confidence and system alignment.
Carcass Yield
Cost of Production
Sustainable profitability depends on disciplined cost control across breeding, rearing and finishing.
Competitive Returns & Aligned Incentives
As the Better Beef Collective becomes established, farmers receive a dedicated weekly schedule for prime, bull and cow. Pricing remains competitive, transparent and structured around system consistency.
Price remains important, but it is only one component of value. The Collective improves total outcome through genetics, efficiency, yield and alignment across breeding, rearing, finishing and processing.
Dedicated Weekly Schedule
A single coordinated schedule provides clarity and reduces exposure to fragmented spot trading.
Volume-Based Premiums
As supply consistency builds, farmers benefit from structured volume-based incentives.
Exclusive Finishing Pathway
Best-practice cattle supplied into the Collective are finished within the system, ensuring data integrity and aligned incentives.
Built by Producers and Processors Committed to System Improvement
Rissington Cattle Company
Generational investment in genetics, data and supply chain management.
The Better Beef Collective was established in 2024 following discussions with Taylor Preston, building on many years of foundation work and testing between Rissington Cattle Company and Southern Pastures to develop a scalable system for delivering consistent, high-quality animals. Wilson Hellaby joined the Collective in 2026, further strengthening processing capability and market reach.
Each partner contributes a critical component of the system - genetics, systems, supply chain and processing expertise with market access - underpinned by a shared commitment to data transparency, open information flow, and continuous improvement. The Collective is open to both dairy and beef producers who share these objectives, creating a network aligned around performance, consistency, and long-term value rather than short-term price signals.
Integrated dairy business (Lewis Road Creamery), documenting high-quality beef-on-dairy animals through controlled genetics and rearing management at scale
NZ owned export and domestic processing business serving North and South Island members providing market access and individual animal boneless yield data
NZ owned processing business, largest supplier to the domestic market with a new plant calibrating individual carcass data with the latest camera technology
Investment in Farmer-Led Data Value
Investment Strategy: Over $1 million committed over three years via the MPI Primary Sector Growth Grant and founding partners.
This institutional funding consolidates the developement of Beef Central™ - a coordinated platform empowering producers to integrate genetics, performance, and carcass data into measurable commercial value.
- Extending multi-generational genetics into real-world farm and carcass performance
- Tracking whole-of-life performance—from genetics to processing
- Benchmarking across the supply chain to lift results
- Turning shared data into measurable value for farmers
SYSTEM DISCIPLINE
Building Volume and Consistency
Building volume and consistency takes time and discipline.
As supply pathways align and data integrity strengthens, the Collective creates a more resilient beef system - one that improves regardless of where the weekly schedule sits.
Structured Supply
Coordinated breeding, rearing and finishing pathways reduce fragmentation and improve predictability.
Data Integrity
Finishing within the Collective protects performance data and strengthens system feedback.
Differentiated Product
Volume and consistency enable evidence-based branding and repeatable quality in domestic and export markets.
Who’s Involved
Mark Bridges
Farming Director Southern Pastures / Leadership Group