The online service harnesses accurate, timely data about wool and meat exports, flock demographics, gross values, interstate transfers and turn off for wool, sheep meat and live exports.
Data-driven decision making in the sheep industry has been given a boost, with the popular Sheep Notes reference publication going online.
The Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development collates and distributes the publication’s facts and figures and will curate the new webpages, which will be updated with real time information.
Senior development officer Mandy Curnow said while the biannual newsletter will still be published and emailed to subscribers, the move online was in response to industry demand for more up-to-date data to aid business efficiency.
“Producers, consultants, analysts, industry leaders and supply chain stakeholders no longer have to wait until Sheep Notes is published and can access the latest Western Australian flock, trade and export data at any time of the day,” Ms Curnow said.
“The online service harnesses accurate, timely data about wool and meat exports, flock demographics, gross values, interstate transfers and turn off for wool, sheep meat and live exports.
“It also supplies regular price indicators for mutton, lamb, wool and live exports.”
The new website also features a series of interactive charts and data tables that can be downloaded and integrated into other applications.
The charts are automatically updated to reflect any available information – some weekly, monthly or by calendar or financial years.
Ms Curnow said in the increasingly dynamic, global market place, access to precise, relevant information was essential for modern business operations.
“The vertically integrated, international supply chains for Western Australian wool, sheep meat and live exports are long and subject to a range of internal and external influences, like price fluctuations and weather events,” she said.
“The real time information on these new webpages will assist supply chain stakeholders to manage the short and long term supply and demand needs of their businesses.
“Producers and consultants can also use the data in association with the department’s Sheep Flock Composition Calculator to make evidence-based turnoff and flock management decisions to optimise the value of sheep enterprises.”
The Sheep Notes webpages can be accessed for free, along with the Sheep Flock Composition Calculator and a range of other flock management decision making aids.
-WA Department of Agriculture