Graeme Finn
All the way from beginnings in Townsville, Queensland, Graeme Finn is now a rancher in Alberta, Canada, where he brings Australian and other best practices for beef production to a vastly different landscape.
A trip to Canada to buy semen embryos in the '90s for a property he was managing in Australia set Graeme on the path to becoming a rancher in the northern hemisphere.
The way into land ownership was cheaper in Canada than Australia for Graeme, who bought land and now also rents 2,100 acres (849 hectares) in combination for summer pastures and winter grazing.
Graeme and his wife, Heather, and their two daughters, Claire and Morgan, now run a beef operation near the town of Madden, focusing on year-round grazing and good pasture health.
Graeme's approach to grazing, as well as his use of multi-species forage crops, was vastly new to Canadian prairies. He has introduced many practices he learnt in Australia, like rotational grazing, the use of electric fencing and using direct seeding equipment for pastures.
Beyond cattle, Graeme has a highly diversified portfolio: he also does consultancy work, has a business providing custom seeding for pastures, and is involved in an agri-tourism travel company based in Calgary.
