Dr Rickards has extensive experience with the beef industry and has been integral in establishing agricultural business institutes that provide livestock services to more than 20 countries.

“I was invited to take the role quite persuasively.

I was approached in a very favourable way and I couldn’t knock it back, my goal is to elevate the image Australia wide for all breeds and members.

Last week I was negotiating for a financial benchmark service and I have a number of other projects I plan to undertake,” he said. 

Dr Rickards is renowned as a beef researcher, was named the 2013 Queensland Country Life Red Meat Achiever of the Year and spent 42 years at the helm of the Agricultural Business Research Institute at the University of New England. 

He also spent 32 years as the ARCBA executive director.

Dr Rickards believes the focus should now be on breeder and youth education and marketing the fantastic programs within Australia.

“This is our big opportunity to analyse what happens, we have some of the best breeding programs in the world but we aren’t great at marketing them overseas so my goal is to raise this profile.

Now we really have an opportunity for growth in the industry, we’re through the doldrums and we finally have a decent price for beef, now we need to implement technology and schemes that will benefit us in the long term.

This is really and opportunity to ensure long term viability of the industry and I really enjoy doing that,” he said. ​