Around the Camp: QLD wool classing, wool processing in QLD, PDS update and optimising pregnancy scanning outcomes deep dive

  1. Quick picks: QLD wool classing, wool processing in QLD & PDS update
  2. Upcoming Leading Sheep events
  3. Surveys
  4. Deep dive: Optimising pregnancy scanning outcomes
  5. Upcoming events
  6. Podcasts and eBulletins

Quick picks:

Wool classing course returns to Queensland: Are you interested in completing your wool classer training? After a hiatus, the Certificate IV in Wool Classing is returning to Queensland. The first course will run in Blackall from September 2025 to August 2026 pending sufficient interest. Develop your skills in wool handling and clip preparation for a career in the wool industry or to use on-farm. Expressions of interest close 22 August 2025.  View this flyer for more information. 

Wool processing in Blackall: A community consultation was recently held in Blackall by QWool, the company planning on developing a wool scouring plant in town. The wool processing plant is the first of four facilities that QWool intends to build in a bid to revive domestic early-stage wool processing. It is expected that the plant will process 14 million kilograms greasy wool annually, approximately 5% of the Australian clip, producing ~9.1 million kilograms of clean wool and ~1.1 million kilograms of high value secondary product lanolin for export.  Questions from the audience served to clarify the source of wool for the facility, labour and accommodation arrangements for workers and the benefits to local growers and the broader industry. Queensland Country Life published a summary of the information presented.

Producer demonstration site (PDS) update: The Making Maidens Weight demonstration sites have finalised their data collection for this project. The project demonstration sites have implemented electronic identification (eID) for individual data collection, pregnancy scanning, weighing sheep, body condition scoring, wet/drying and supplementing their maiden ewes in an effort to reach target liveweight for joining thereby lifting fertility rates. Come to the field day on 14 August at Isisford Racecourse to hear the results of this 3-year project from sheep reproduction scientist Dr Gordon Refshauge (NSW DPI). Register here or learn more about this project at this link.

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Upcoming Leading Sheep events

  • 8 August. Dirranbandi Sheep and Goat Field Day, Dirranbandi. Register here.
  • 14 August. Making Maidens Weight PDS field day, Isisford. Delivered by DPI. Register here.
  • 21 August. Sheep classing and ram selection workshop, Bungunya. Delivered by DPI and Fox & Lillie. More information coming soon.
  • 2 October. (Rescheduled) Leading Sheep Forum, Longreach. Delivered by DPI. Register here.

Surveys   

Spare 10 minutes to support your industry

  • You could earn $200 for sharing your experience with farm management planning (including those who don’t write plans!). Find out more here.
  • Three times a year MLA and AWI collect wool and sheep meat industry livestock numbers and lamb production expectations, your contributions are always valuable. Complete the short survey here to make sure Queensland is counted.

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Deep dive: Optimising pregnancy scanning   

Pregnancy scanning is a tool that can improve your ability to strategically manage breeding ewes to improve productivity and profitability. It is important to use the information from scanning to realise the benefit to your enterprise.

Ewe nutrition is a key driver of net reproductive rate and the lifetime productivity of her progeny. Pregnancy scanning provides the information you require to optimally manage the nutrition and lambing conditions of breeding ewes. Scanning enables you to:

Benchmark: develop a record of reproductive performance over time and track responsiveness to changes in management and seasons. Scanning for multiples and tracking the proportion of multiples/singles/empty ewes provides insight into the impact of nutrition on reproductive performance of your flock.

Manage: improve lambing outcomes by managing nutrition and paddock conditions for multiple-bearing ewes. Understanding your flock’s lambing potential assists with pasture budgeting and financial planning.

Select: identify and retain the ‘performer’ ewes and remove ‘passengers’ (i.e. once- or twice-empty or failed to rear ewes depending on your situation) to improve reproductive performance.

Pregnancy scanning ewes enables producers to make data-driven management and selection decisions. The table below explains the decisions made possible with scanning.

Ewes scanned empty Identifying empty ewes gives you the option to:

  • Run them for wool: run separately, stocking them at a higher rate than pregnant ewes.
  • Re-join: if it suits your management program. Useful when rebuilding post drought.
  • Sell: optimise time of sale and preserve pasture for productive animals.
  • Detect a joining failure early.
Ewes scanned pregnant Identifying pregnant ewes enables you to:

  • Meet their higher nutritional requirements by allocating to better pastures and/or supplementary feeding.
  • Allocate them to sheltered paddocks.
  • Sell ewes scanned-in-lamb to receive price premiums.
Ewes scanned multiple Identifying number of foetuses (multiples) provides information for you to:

  • Manage nutritional requirements to maximise ewe and lamb survival: this includes managing single bearing ewes to prevent them getting too fat and providing adequate energy and protein for multiple-bearing ewes.
  • Modify mob size: smaller mobs for multiple-bearing ewes.
  • Allocate multiple-bearing ewes to the best pastures and most sheltered paddocks.
  • Identify and select for the ‘performer’ ewes.

Set yourself and your scanner up for success

To maximise the accuracy of scanning, take the time to plan logistics and prepare your sheep, labour and infrastructure.

  • Plan and prepare: book your scanner and additional labour early.
  • Scan at the optimal time: call your scanner the day you put the rams in with the ewes to determine a suitable scanning date.
  • Hold ewes off feed and water for a minimum of six hours.
  • Ensure adequate labour is present.
  • If using electronic identification (eID), have a backup system.
  • Consider the comfort of your scanner: provide shade where possible and water down the race if dust is expected.

Other factors that reduce the accuracy of scanning include joining for an extended period, light or fat ewes and flighty sheep that are difficult to scan.

Find out more about the profitability of scanning and a checklist to maximise success with the resources below.

More information: Recently concluded AWI and MLA research found an average increase in profit of $5.55 per ewe when scanned for multiples when that information is used for management decisions. Pregnancy scanning is an essential tool for improved ewe and lamb survival, so AWI and MLA have released new resources for sheep producers to get the most out of pregnancy scanning.

The following resources are available at this link: AWI & MLA pregnancy scanning resources

  • Ewe scanning and management checklist
  • Pregnancy scanning: an ultra-sound investment
  • Resource guide for sheep reproduction
  • The value of pregnancy scanning fact sheet (benefit-cost analysis summary)
  • The value of pregnancy scanning report (benefit-cost analysis methodology)

AWI Extension NSW and AWI Leading Sheep pregnancy scanning webinars 

  • Scanning: an ultra-sound investment (part one) – delivered by Dr Sue Hatcher from Makin Outcomes, this webinar covers the new AWI and MLA pregnancy scanning resources; the value of scanning with insights from a cost-benefit analysis; and making data-driven management and selection decision.
  • I have my scanning results: what now? (part two) – delivered by Josh Cousins, Cousins Merino Services, this webinar explains how to best prepare your sheep for scanning to enable optimum information capture (think accuracy and a smooth scanning process). Josh discusses how to manage the data you capture to provide productivity gains in your flock – with one, or more, years’ worth of data. Plus plenty of questions answered from the perspective of a scanning contractor.

This article was written by N&CW extension officer Millie Sheales and was first published in the AWI Woolgrower Newsletter.

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Upcoming events

  • 30-31 July. GroWQ Ag Innovation Expo: Talks, Tech, Trade Displays, Longreach. Delivered by GroWQ. Register here.
  • 8 August. Introductory Excel for grazing enterprises, Roma. Delivered by ConnectAg. Register here.
  • 19 August. Managing livestock thermal stress field day, ‘Springleigh’ Blackall. Delivered by NACP. Register here for prerequisite webinars.
  • 21 August. Managing livestock thermal stress field day, ‘Athlone’ Meandarra. Delivered by NACP. Register here for prerequisite webinars.
  • 3 October. GroWQ Next Gen Event: Grassroots Growth in the Grazing Industry, Longreach. Delivered by GroWQ. Information to come.

Podcasts and eBulletins

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