“I always knew I wanted a career in Agriculture. Science and maths were always my favourite subjects growing up, and I just love working with people.” Sam was born on a small cattle farm in the coastal NSW town of Murwillumbah. “I didn’t like the beach, though.” Lucky for him, his Mum and Dad headed out to the New England area to expand their farming business. “I am one of six – four brothers and a sister. So Mum and Dad thought they’d take full advantage of the labour readily available to them and progressively bought farming land in the New England area.” When Sam finished school in Tenterfield, he knew he was after a career in Agriculture, so headed to the University of Queensland in Gatton to study Applied Science. “While I was studying I got a job at Stanbroke and was able to establish a good understanding of the opportunities across the supply chain. I decided to go down the path of intensive animal production and I’m really glad I did because I love it.” He left Uni and was snapped up by the feedlot company, JBS, where he worked at its Beef City Feedlot. But planning for a more diverse future, Sam was keen to return to studies. “I went back and did my MBA in finance – I’ve always loved maths and I figured that coupled with my degree in Applied Science, I could widen my career path opportunities.” And that it did.

He moved from the Feedlot into the corporate world, in a role with Beef City and its Corporate Feedlot Team. “It allowed me to be involved in the business analysis side of the company and also work with managers to help them drive growth and help with goal setting. I guess it allowed me to spend some time in the feedlots, and in the office.” Beginning a new journey with Mort & Co, Sam says, is about getting the balance right again. “I think coming to Mort I’ve got that love of livestock and I love working with people and then, of course, there’s the business management side of it. It’s such a diverse role. You’re never stuck in one spot. It’s allowing me to pull all the experience from previous years together and make it work in one place. Mort & Co had a great name in the industry – I think my first impression of it is that there is no arrogance. It’s a very grounded company that is growing rapidly. I like to be kept on my toes.” 78,000 head of cattle should do it. Welcome aboard Sam.