Leading Sheep, Media Release, 17 January 2022

A webinar series focussed on educating and empowering the next generation of producers in the Queensland sheep and wool industry has proven popular with producers, attracting 279 attendees and garnering almost 4,000 views on the recordings to date.

A first of its kind to be hosted by Leading Sheep, the 10-part ‘H Series’ webinar program spanned across 2021 covering topics from health and husbandry to herding foundations and how to buy and sell sheep.

Commencing in April 2021, the now completed H Series recordings are all available online.

Jed Sommerfield, Extension Officer with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, said the webinar series was a great success, providing young and/or new Merino producers with practical information on how to run a successful, productive, and profitable operation.

“For those starting out in the industry, a common challenge is learning and understanding the fundamentals,” Mr Sommerfield said.

“These webinars equip attendees with the knowledge and skills to grow a sustainable enterprise by learning directly from some of Australia’s leading sheep and wool industry experts.

“Though sheep and wool is an attractive industry to be in, producers face extremely varied and complex climatic and market conditions, so it’s important that they are equipped with all the information that will help drive productive and profitable performance.”

The series features a broad range of topics presented by industry leaders, including:

• Part 1: Health, facilitated by veterinarian and Queensland sheep producer, Dr Noel O’Dempsey
• Part 2: Him & her (reproduction), facilitated by veterinarian and Queensland sheep producer, Dr Noel O’Dempsey
• Part 3: Handling, hosted by stock handler, dog trainer and sheep producer, Neil McDonald
• Part 4: Herding Foundations, presented by stock handler, dog trainer and sheep producer, Neil McDonald
• Part 5: Husbandry, with lamb marking contractor and farmer, Tom Perkins
• Part 6: Housing (shearing, shearing quarters and shearing shed), with Longreach shearing contractor, Rayleen Bowden Sheedy
• Part 7: Harvesting (Shearing), facilitated by Fiona Raleigh, wool classer registrar, AWEX
• Part 8: How to sell wool, led by state manager NSW/QLD from Australian Wool Network, Mark Hedley
• Part 9: Hunger (Nutrition), facilitated by Geoff Duddy, Principal Consultant, Sheep Solutions  
• Part 10: How to buy and sell sheep, Gus Foott, Assessor & Delivery Agent, Nutrien Ag Solutions

Mr Sommerfield said this Leading Sheep initiative helped facilitate an interactive two-way-conversation between experts and attendees.

“Webinar attendees were encouraged to come prepared with questions and this format allowed young producers to gain a more holistic, practical understanding of the industry and best-practice techniques,” Mr Sommerfield said.

“So, if you’re new to the sheep and wool industry, looking to get into it, or diversify your operation, we recommend you jump online and check out the webinars.”

The H Series webinars can be accessed at: http://www.leadingsheep.com.au/category/recordedwebinars-videos/.

The Leading Sheep website hosts a wealth of information and resources for all experience levels, covering topics from electronic identification (EID) to exclusion fencing and genetics. To find out more, visit the website (www.leadingsheep.com.au) and sign up to receive monthly updates and details on events happening in each region.