Posted by on
07/09/2026
Queensland's Fred Appleton reflects on his Nuffield journey over a decade on.
When Queensland’s Fred Appleton first pondered his 2015 Nuffield Scholarship research topic, little could he have envisaged that within a decade, its impact would reshape Australian consumers' relationship with red meat.
As grass-fed beef producers in the Alpha region, Fred had long recognised people’s fascination with Queensland’s central and northern Queensland’s beef industry – his challenge was monetising the story.
“I knew we had a great story to tell, and it was one that wasn’t being told,” Fred reflects. “Our grass fed beef is produced naturally and organically, the way it always had been, and as consumers started to look to food provenance, I felt strongly that there was value in our story, one that could capitalise on shifting consumer demands by better leveraging the attributes of the vast natural production systems unique to northern Australia.”
Producing Shorthorn and Angus cross cattle on his property “Islay Plains”, Fred believes the eating quality of the softer British breeds, coupled with their organic grass fed system was a compelling proposition.
“The consumer gets a great beef product, with a great story to go with it.”
His Rabobank sponsored Nuffield research topic was entitled ‘Selling our story: opportunities to better promote northern Australian grass-fed beef’, and he marvels at how relevant the topic remains today, over a decade later.
“The industry has come such a long way, now there’s a story attached to almost every ingredient - whether it’s a box of apples at the supermarket with a QR code you scan to learn where they were grown, or a restaurant menu highlighting the provenance behind a particular cut of meat.”
“Producers have always had a great story to tell, it just wasn’t getting told, and we had no way to realise the value of our production system, or counter the negative messages that can sometimes be directed at agriculture and producers.”
Since his Nuffield Scholarship, the landscape for storytelling has evolved dramatically, with social media platforms now providing opportunities unfathomable when Fred began exploring his topic.
“I could never have imagined there’d be so much opportunity to tell our story, although I think we can all acknowledge that social media can be a double-edged sword.”
A Nuffield experience that continues to deliver
Fred reflects on his Nuffield experience with gratitude, and although it feels like a lifetime ago, it introduced him to a global network that he is still in touch with.
“During my six week international tour I met people from across the globe, and this has been one of the greatest benefits of the program,” he smiles.
“I know that if my family, or one day my children, want to explore the world, there’s a network of knowledge with expertise on all aspects of agriculture, who would be happy to host them.”
Curious as to the value of selling beef’s story, Fred was also motivated to apply for a Nuffield Scholarship to further explore the opportunities organic certification could afford.
“The organic movement was gaining momentum and we were on the fence as to whether it was something we should be pursuing,” Fred explains.
“Visiting so many different countries thanks to Nuffield, and the global interest in ‘clean and green’ beef cemented to me that organics was here to stay, and it was the catalyst for us pursuing, and receiving, our accreditation.”
By simply leveraging the natural capital across their land and producing grass-fed beef as they always had, the accreditation has afforded access to premium markets worth “a couple of dollars a kilo – which adds up pretty quickly”, he says.
Fred’s vision and business nous underpins an operation that’s now perfectly placed to leverage the eating quality of the softer British breeds, coupled with an organic grass-fed beef story so in demand by consumers world-wide.
The agricultural industry's next generation of leaders will take centre stage this week as Nuffield Australia hosts its 2026 National Conference in Darwin.
Bringing together producers, researchers and agribusiness professionals from across the country, the two-day event will explore this year's theme, 'Beyond the Horizon: Leading Agriculture's Next Frontier'.
As a proud National Conference Sponsor, Rabobank has invested in the development of future industry leaders through its support of a Nuffield Scholar every year since 2003. The announcement of the 2027 scholar at this week's conference will mark a special milestone, with Rabobank celebrating its 25th Nuffield Scholar.