| Queensland sheep and wool producers can be armchair attendees at the AWI 7th World Merino Conference later this week thanks to web coverage on the Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) website www.wool.com.au.
The result of collaboration between Leading Sheep and AWI, information will be posted on the website starting late today (Wednesday 12 July).
Producers in Queensland, and all other states, can engage remotely with the conference via daily highlights being logged in a blog (a web report, blog is shortened from weblog) from AWI chief executive officer Dr Len Stephens.
Additionally, some written speeches and powerpoint presentations will be added to the AWI website as they become available.
Leading Sheep is an AWI initiative in partnership with the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries and supported by AgForce, which targets the adoption of new technologies and practices to increase the productivity and profitability of the Queensland industry.
Leading Sheep project manager Geoff Knights said one of the project’s key aims was to provide innovative and technological solutions to help broaden producers’ access to information.
“We looked at a range of ways that producers in Queensland could access some of the wealth of ideas and information that will no doubt be aired at the World Merino Conference in Perth and this daily upload on www.wool.com.au is the result,” Mr Knights said.
The website will be updated at the end of each day, with email alerts about the new content being sent to all AWI producer network coordinators (including the four Leading Sheep networks in Queensland) for distribution.
Also, ABC radio will be doing live crosses from the Merino Innovation Day being held at the historic Swan Valley “Egerton” property on Wednesday 12 July and then broadcasting the Country Hour live from the World Merino Conference on Thursday 13 July.
Mr Knights said AWI’s World Merino Conference web page would contain a link to the appropriate ABC web program page to enable producers to listen to the ABC Country Hour broadcast.
Several Queensland sheep and wool producers involved with the Leading Sheep project – Jenny Keogh and Rick Keogh from the Central West group, and Will Roberts from the South West group – have travelled to Perth for the conference.
For comment: call AWI media contact Sally Davison on 0428 295 898 or Leading Sheep project manager Geoff Knights on 07 4620 8121. | 
