South – Leading Sheep

Committee Details

	Name: Noel O’Dempsey Role: Coordinator & Producer “Linallie” Texas Phone: 07 4653 1441 odempseyn@gmail.com	Veterinarian and sheep producer Noel O’Dempsey has taken on the role of regional coordinator for Leading Sheep South region. Mr O’Dempsey runs fine wool sheep at “Linallie” in the Traprock country between Texas and Inglewood, and within that business he puts special emphasis on selecting sheep for worm resistance. He is an accredited facilitator and will work with the Leading Sheep South regional committee in pursuing knowledge and skills to help develop more profitable and productive sheep enterprises. Mr O’Dempsey was previously a sheep husbandry officer with the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries for more than 20 years and also now runs a vet consultancy.
	Name: Neil Cameron Role: Producer “Kurrajong” Millmerran Phone: 07 4668 0248 Office BMO Accountants 07 4662 3722 neil.cam@bigpond.com	Neil Cameron has been actively involved in the sheep and wool industry as a producer and member of a family partnership since the 1970’s in Western Australia and Queensland. He is keen for the industry to prosper despite all the challenges that it has to constantly contend with. Neil is also a qualified tax accountant with 25 years experience in rural and regional accounting practices and currently acts as a tax consultant to BMO Accountants in Dalby. Neil has been breeding crossbred Poll Dorset lambs and dual purpose Dohne sheep in recent times.
	Name: Pru Barkla Role: Producer “Mt Molar” Clifton Phone: 0417 793 833 barklasp@gmail.com	Pru is a passionate prime lamb producer in partnership with husband Stuart. Their business runs over two properties, Rosscoe the breeding block SE of Cunnamulla accompanied by a finishing block Mt. Molar, Clifton. Prime South African Meat Merino (Samm) are the genetics their sheep meat enterprise works with producing an exceptional carcass and producing 21 – 22 micron wool. They continuously seek innovative tools and technologies to incorporate into their prime lamb, sheep meat & wool business. Production drives the business which is all about high lambing/ weaning percentages achieved with regular effective 1080 pig baiting program’s taking care of all feral animals in conjunction with applying many tools, that sheep producers have, to reach production targets.
	Name: Bruce Toms Role: Producer “Beltana” Stanthorpe Phone: 07 4685 6075 flockscan@gmail.com	Bruce Toms along with his wife Melinda and sons Clancy and Dougal own “Beltana”, a 4600 acre sheep property west of Stanthorpe. They run 2000 Merino and Merino/SAMM cross ewes using Dohne rams. A graduate of Longreach Pastoral College, he has worked on Merino studs in the Riverina and in Western Australia. Bruce has also held sheep and wool positions with Elders and more recently Landmark and currently Fox and Lillie Rural. In 2011 he started Flockscan, a sheep ultrasound pregnancy scanning business. Bruce is a registered wool classer and Dohne assessor and has recently been appointed to the Traprock Group sheep committee.
	Name: Peter Campbell Role: Producer “Wyambeh” Roma Phone: 07 4626 5454 peter.campbell53@gmail.com	On 23,000 acres Peter Campbell runs a SRS Poll Merino Stud with 400 stud ewes at present with all sheep listed on Sheep Genetics with full ASBV’s; 4,000 commercial sheep and about 400 breeders of cattle and their progeny. When the marsupial and wild dog, 1.5 metre 16 wire stocklock netting Clipex fence, is completed next year Peter would expect to double his sheep numbers. Peter ran a traditional Egelabra daughter stud for 10 years before he joined the SRS system in 2000. He breeds for 18 to 19 micron wool, with the main emphasis on eye muscle and fat cover in carcass traits, on a wrinkle free sheep. He also enters his rams in Sire Evaluations to gauge their progeny’s performance. Peter graduated from Longreach Pastoral College in 1970 and has been on the family property all his life which they have had for 88 years.
	Name: Don Perkins Role: Producer “Nelyambo” Dirranbandi Phone: 07 4625 8686 dbperkins@bigpond.com	Don Perkins runs a woolgrowing and breeding property at Dirranbandi with his wife, Belinda and sons Tom, Lachie and Nicholas. His main focus is to improve the productivity of the property through pasture improvement and genetic gains. He is also particularly interested in investigating ways to improve the communication between woolgrowers and their customers with a view of better supplying what the customer requires. Don thinks that Leading Sheep has a role to play in boosting the morale of Queensland sheep producers.
	Name: Nick Hill Role: Producer “Dunkerry” Thallon Phone: 0428 768 366 dunkerry2@bigpond.com	Nick manages a 7,500 acre grazing and cropping property south of St George along with his parents Stuart and Christina and fiancé Allie. Together they target winter cereal grain production and run 3000 Merino breeders in a 1st cross prime lamb operation focusing on large frame, high growth rate animals for meat production. Since 2011 he has also work closely with the Live Exporting industry operating predominantly within the sheep industry from Australia to the Middle East. He is passionate and proud to call himself a member of the Australian Sheep Industry and hopes to play his part in upholding the superior standards that the industry is renowned for around the world. On a local level he looks forward to building and improving on his operational skills as a farm manager and looks forward to seeing the involvement of young producers coming into the sheep industry like himself.
	Name: Tamara White Role: Producer “Riverview” Surat Phone: 0410 400 416 tamara.white@outlook.com.au	Tamara is a fourth generation sheep and wool producer working on her parent’s property at Surat. In 2003, Tamara completed a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Agribusiness, Management & Marketing through the University of New England. Prior to moving back to the family farm in 2013, Tamara had a successful career in marketing within the Australian agricultural industry. Traditionally Merino wool growers, the White family now run a prime lamb operation producing grass fed lambs, achieving dressed weights between 20 to 25kg within 8 months. According to Tamara, the key to their success has been the introduction of Dorper genetics and optimising breeding objectives to meet the demands of consumer markets. Tamara is a passionate prime lamb producer who is keen to become an ‘agvocat’ of the Australian Sheep & Wool Industry. She is particularly interested in utilising her marketing skills to assist industry with positioning True Aussie Lamb™ as the protein of choice in both domestic and international markets. Tamara believes in identifying and implementing best practice to ensure the family’s prime lamb operation remains ethical, sustainable and most importantly, profitable.
	Name: Jed Sommerfield Role: Extension Officer DAF Charleville Phone: 0745 301 256 Mobile: 0459 862 879 jed.sommerfield@daf.qld.gov.au	Jed grew up on a sheep and beef property, near Charleville in South-Western Queensland. At the University of Queensland (Gatton) he completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (Animal Production/Rangeland Management). While at university he was able to gain access to methods of higher learning and increased his level expertise over a variety of industries and commercial enterprises. After completing his degree he continued to work in primary production namely at AMH Beef City west of Toowoomba, Fletchers International Exports in Dubbo, numerous private primary production enterprises and South West NRM based in Charleville. His practical experience in primary production industries over an extended period of time has exposed him to a wide variety of problems and solutions at different stages of the supply line and at different locations throughout Queensland and New South Wales. He recently started work as a DAF Extension Officer (Sheep and Beef) in Charleville and is looking forward to working with committee and producers from across this region and work with them to solve problems and offer solutions as part of the primary production industry.