The board and Executive
Dr Craig Heggaton, chairman
Craig brings a unique skill set to the position of Alliance chair with a broad knowledge of the nuances of the WA sheep industry supply chain. As the chair of WAMMCO he brings meat processing representation to the table; as a large-scale Kojonup mixed farmer he has a strong appreciation for the profitabilty of sheep in a mixed enterprise; and as the principal of Genstock – a sheep breeding services entity with clients across the state - he has direct exposure to a very broad range of farm breeding performance systems. He is a passionate advocate of driving uptake of profitable sheep management strategies.
Dr Tim Watts, vice chairman
Veterinarian and Pingelly sheep producer Tim Watts has held a number of sheep industry business and strategic roles over his career to date. He has extensive Research and Extension experience from his work with BioClip and as a project consultant to a range of veterinary pharmaceutical companies. As an advisory member to the AWI Sheep’s Back project he continues to advocate for the adoption of strategies that will deliver improved profit margins within the sheep enterprise.
John Edwards, Exporter, Fremantle WA
John'sinvolvement with live exports began 35 years ago, working in export feedlots and accompanying livestock cargos by sea to the Middle East. John has since worked for several of Australia’s largest livestock exporters and also two major Saudi Arabian livestock importers, having also resided in Saudi Arabia for eight years building and managing large scale feedlots for imported sheep and cattle. John works for Emanual Exports.
Richard Coole, Producer, Kojonup WA
Richard runs one of the state’s largest sheep operations with some 44,000 sheep based around a self-replacing Merino flock. The enterprise produces1050 bales of wool, plus 4500 prime lambs, 4000 live shippers 1500 sale breeder sheep and turns off 2500 head of mutton per year. He is a strong advocate for best-practise farming systems and has a particular interest in genomic breeding technology.
Andrew Ritchie, farm consultant, Darkan
Andrew is a farm management consultant with intimate knowledge of farm-level sheep enterprise performance and variation. Andrew also serves as manager of ‘The Sheeps’ Back’ sheep and wool network which has grown to 1500 members under his watch. Andrew chairs the Alliance’s finance committee.
Bindi Murray, producer, Woodanilling
Bindi runs the livestock enterprise on a 6000ha sheep and cropping property at Woodanilling, mating 8500 ewes per year. Bindi previously worked as a Sheep Genetics Researcher and in a State farming organisation before returning to the family farm in 2007. She is a proud and passionate farmer, active member in her industry and community and is currently the livestock council chair of the PGA.
Wayne Pech, producer, Gnowangerup
Wayne is a director of the Gnowangerup-based North Stirling Downs Pty Ltd - a company employing seven permanent staff running 35,000 sheep, 5500ha of mixed crop and 500 beef cattle. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of WAFarmers.
Andrew Lindsay, livestock and wool agent
Andrew Lindsay is the general manager of Primaries of WA. An executive with 20 years’ experience in the agricultural industry and a technical background in wool science and technology he has a broad blend of skills in general operations/business management, business development, team building, technical management, client liaison and promotion. The fact that he has strong ties to the family farm in central NSW ensure that the issues most important to Australian primary producers are well understood.
Professor David Pethick, Researcher
ProfessorDavid Pethick leads the Centre for Production Animal Research at theSchool of Veterinary and Life Sciences, has enjoyed a 34-year research career which has seen him contribute valuable findings to the sheep, beef cattle and pig industries, as well as to dog and horse studies, generating $17 million of research funding in the process. His nutritional biochemistry research has led to diet formulation for beef cattle and lambs to optimise meat quality and shown that lamb compares favourably to pork and chicken for the beneficial minerals iron and zinc. He is also involved in research which shows that lamb is a significant source of beneficial Omega 3 fatty acids and is also low in saturated fats.
Esther Jones, Executive Officer
Esther Jones (Price) began her career as a livestock journalist with Farm Weekly before launching Esther Price Promotions – an agricultural project and events company that earned a nation-wide reputation for the delivery of exceptional industry events. She rates the creation and delivery of LambEx as a career highlight. She sold EPP Events in July 2014 to focus on state-based agricultural projects and now divides her time primarily between the sheep and dairy industries, operating as a part time executive officer for each from her Denmark base.