A new series of one of the sheep industry’s most popular extension and adoption programs, It’s Ewe Time, is being rolled out in August, designed to increase producer awareness of the principles, practices and tools of sheep enterprise profitability and productivity.
A joint initiative of Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), the forums are part of the flagship Making More From Sheep program.
The forums will be conducted as half-day workshops across South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula at Ceduna, Kimba and Cummins, and as full-day workshops at Wagga Wagga, NSW, Esperance and Northam, WA, and Hamilton, Victoria.
Meat & Livestock Australia’s General Manager – Producer Consultation & Adoption, Michael Crowley, said the objective of the forums was to help sheep producers achieve 10% more carcase value, produce 10% more lambs per hectare and grow 10% more wool.
“With sheepmeat and wool prices continuing at historic highs, particularly compared with grain prices, there is renewed interest in boosting productivity and profitability of sheep enterprises,” Mr Crowley said.
“Some mixed farmers are increasing the sheep portion of their enterprise mix and these forums will provide information to help facilitate that shift and boost productivity.
“We encourage as many producers as possible to get involved in these forums. The sheepmeat and wool industries have moved on a long way since 2011, when these forums were last held, and there’s more information to be thinking about and incorporating into your business.”
Topics to be covered include sheepmeat and wool market outlooks, supply opportunities and challenges, managing high performing ewes to wean more lambs, animal health, feed base options and enterprise planning and structure.
The forums will have a clear practice-change focus and will point interested producers to many of the extension and adoption tools available through MLA and AWI.
The forums will held on the following dates:
- Wednesday, 2 August, Ceduna, SA
- Thursday 3 August, Kimba, SA
- Friday, 4 August, Cummins, SA
- Tuesday, 15 August, Wagga Wagga, NSW
- Tuesday 22 August, Esperance, WA
- Thursday 24 August, Northam, WA
- Thursday 31 August, Hamilton, WA