| South East |
| Visions |
- A profitable long term (>5 years) wool supply chain for specific end products.
- To produce a wool type specification with a set price for >5 years. Ditto for the meat market.
- Profitable segmented markets for wool and meat
- More young people given the opportunity to enter the Industry
- Profitability of meat and wool
- Commodity driven by wool type and by lamb specifications. All animals to be easy care for - flies, lice worms and labour
- Triple bottom line outcomes to be acknowledged as important and achieved
- New technology for production and usage
- More efficient production per ewe
- Flexible industry structure to handle change quickly
- Long term future for grand children in industry
- Meat oriented with fine wool and easy care sheep
- That commodity perception of industry is good
- Price security with risk management
- Recognition of quality (wool/meat)
- Young people back in the industry
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| Objectives |
- Marketing - All aspects of wool and meat chain
- Nutrition - Particularly drought, pre-lambing, production and supplementary feeding
- Genetics - MVP project results, dual purpose sheep, feed conversion, lifting lambing performances.
- Management in a 3BL context.
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| Committee Details |
| | Name: Neil Cameron | | Role: Producer | | Phone: 07 4668 0248 Office BMO Accountants 07 4662 3722 | | neil.cam@bigpond.com |
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|  | | Sarah McMeniman and her husband Michael operate the sheep property Redgate between Stanthorpe and Texas. She has been an active member of the Traprock Group serving several years as secretary and now chairs the Best Practice Committee. Their focus is on producing fine Merino wool in the 16 to 17 micron range from unmulesed sheep. | |
|  | | Veterinarian and sheep producer Noel O’Dempsey has taken on the role of regional coordinator for Leading Sheep South East.
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 East regional committee in the 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. | |
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| Southern Inland |
| Visions |
To create the opportunity for 100% of sheep and wool producers in this region to be aware of Leading Sheep Project activities, and 50% to participate in an activity over the life of the project;
- identifying environmentally sustainable productivity gains
- creating a positive social network for sharing knowledge and building skills
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| Objectives |
- To explore various strategies for managing climate variability
- To create awareness of the importance of monitoring and managing sheep at an optimal weight for production
- To create awareness of the factors driving reproduction improvements
- To provide exposure to possible productivity gains through genetics and how to select for them
- To create awareness of the importance of measuring and recording pasture availability
- To provide the opportunity to identify short and long term marketing opportunities/strategies for meat and wool
- To provide the opportunity to understand the impact of stocking rate (per ha) and influence on production per hectare (as opposed to production per head)
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| Committee Details |
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| | | Veterinarian and sheep producer Noel O’Dempsey has taken on the role of regional coordinator for Leading Sheep South East.
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 East regional committee in the 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. | |
|  | | 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. | |
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| South West |
| Visions |
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To promote long-term profitability, prosperity and confidence in the wool industry by providing access to good information for implementing improvement programmes and to challenge or assess current practices.
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| Objectives |
- To increase participation in predator control programmes
- To promote excellence in sheep management
- To demonstrate best practice management in environmental management and animal welfare
- To encourage young people into the sheep and wool industry by enhancing the industry’s profile
- To improve knowledge and understanding of sheep nutritional requirements
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| Committee Details |
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|  | | Anthony along with his wife Gerda, their 3 small children and his parents Ian and Lyn live on “Picarilli” south-west of Thargomindah. After working on many properties in the Thargomindah district as well as Julia Creek and Cloncurry, backpacking and working in Europe and the U.K, pressing in the shearing sheds and working in the oil and gas industry I have settled back home with my young family. “Picarilli runs in a normal season 6000 merino sheep and 1500 beef cattle. Our target is to produce 19-20 micron wool off a large, straight bodied, easy care merino with high fertility. We ceased mulesing in 2007. | |
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|  | | Brigitte is a partner and has been actively involved in running Autumnvale Pastoral Co, for the past 25 years. The sheep and cattle enterprise is in the Bulloo and Quilpie Shires. | |
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|  | | Will and Narda Roberts live at “Victoria Downs” Merino Stud, Morven, where they raised their four daughters. They run 3500 breeding ewes and about 350 cows, when possible. Will is currently President of the Australian Association of Stud Merino Breeders and has a positive view for the future of Merino sheep and wool. He is on the 2006 WoolPoll Panel, has been involved in facilitating the merger between AWI and AWS and is keen to do work towards improving the viability of Merino enterprises. The Roberts’ are continuing to develop their sheep with the use of objective and subjective measurement, and using modern technology where they can see a benefit. | |
|  | | Kylie and Brian Rutledge live at Moble, south-west of Quilpie where they run a sheep and cattle breeding enterprise as well as a small goat business. They have four daughters who are actively involved with the running of Moble when time allows. They aim to produce 19-20 micron soft-handling wool on a robust animal with as few inputs as possible. During the past 15 years, the Rutledges have incorporated a ram breeding programme into their management plan with encouraging results. Their interests lie in sustainable and profitable wool, sheep and beef production. | |
|  | | Kathy has spent her life on sheep properties, first at Albury in NSW, then west of Warwick and for the past 32 years at Cunnamulla. She is a passionate woolgrower who is proud to wear wool clothing and believes more producers should show their conviction by wearing wool. | |
|  | | Alex grew up in the South West on the family property and has since worked on many places around the South West area. He attended the University of Queensland Gatton campus and obtained a Bachelor in Agricultural Science - Rural Management. He then travelled and lived overseas for a period of time, before starting his current role. Alex's role is Industry Development Officer for sheep and beef, based in Charleville. He joined the team in mid 2009 and is heavily involved in bringing new technology to the area, field day organising and extension work. He looks forward to getting more people involved in the future. | |
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| North and Central West |
| Visions |
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To grow a more profitable and sustainable sheep industry and lift its profile in the Central West region of Queensland
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| Objectives |
- To increase profitability
- Improve management practice
- Raise awareness of diversification options
- Improve technology adoption
- Increase awareness and support for stakeholders
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| Committee Details |
 | | I come from a wool classing background in CW Qld and am now a private wool buyer in Winton.
Along with my husband Shane, we run medium wool merinos and some Droughtmaster cattle. We are passionate about sheep and wool, aiming to breed a “package” sheep that is easy care, cuts a profitable amount of wool, is fertile and has a saleable carcase at the end of the day.
I believe we can achieve more by sharing information and ideas, networking with like minded people – and that it only “can’t be done” until someone goes and does it. Let’s make that us!
I look forward to being a part of Leading Sheep
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|  | | David is a member of a long term wool producing family at “Dunblane”, west of Barcaldine. He believes sheep still have an important place alongside cattle in the region and is committed to improving productivity of his Merino flock. Better fleece weights and lower micron counts are being achieved through the introduction of superior genetics. | |
|  | | David operates a sheep and cattle property with his wife Sarah Jane and three children, 100 km north of Longreach, near Muttaburra. He is keen to encourage other producers and is committed a profitable future for the sheep and wool industry industry in the central west. | |
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| | | Buckles came to “Laidlaw” Longreach at age 15 from Emerald District. Studied Farm Management at Q.A.C. Gatton and then returned home and worked on Laidlaw and district. Spent four years at “Cooreela” Roma (1988-92) where we took our sheep and cattle during the 87/88 drought and also grew wheat for a few years (and had a few babies). Returned to “Laidlaw” in 1992 and we took over the running of the “Laidlaw”, a Braford Cattle Stud and self replacing merino ewe flock 92 kms South /South West of Longreach. We have always had a keen interest in breeding livestock (sheep and cattle) and a great believer in objective measurement which we have been doing since 1984. Slowly we have reduced our micron and held fleece weight over the last 20 years or so as well as trying to breed a plainer more easy doing fertile ewe.
Basically you could say I have a keen interest in all aspects of the sheep industry (merino and fat lambs) and it is a pleasure to be involved with Leading Sheep. If we could get a couple of decent seasons it may give us renewed energy and keep our interest up.
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|  | | Ninian Stuart-Moore is a third generation woolgrower at “Dunluce”, a 46,500ha property west of Hughenden. Ninian introduced Maremma dogs to guard their stock in 2002, a move which has kept them in the industry. He believes there is a strong future for sheep and wool in the western region, but producers will need to be proactive and creative if the industry is to survive and prosper. Ninian and his wife Ann run Dunluce which runs 12,000 sheep and a herd of 5000 Droughtmaster cattle. | |
|  | | Virginia grew up near Isisford on a Merino stud and over the past 24 years has lived and worked on various sheep properties including Alice Downs at Blackall where she and her husband Michael have been living for the past 12 years. As Co-ordinator of the North and Central West Qld Region of Leading Sheep, Virginia is keen to assist in the implementation and delivery of relevant and meaningful information, services and activities for people associated with the sheep and wool industries in the North and Central West Region. Virginia believes Leading Sheep is an ideal avenue for such delivery and encourages producers and associated stakeholders to maintain regular contact with Committee members [we like to hear what you have to say] and freely participate in any of the Leading Sheep activities as they occur. | |
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