SPA News

Sheep Producers Australia welcomes the ABS move to update the national sheep flock estimates through until FY2024. Accurate, timely data is critical for benchmarking, profitability and informed decision-making, and this is something Sheep Producers Australia has advocated for on behalf of producers.  This move by ABS helps address the information gap created by the disontinuation of the ABS Agricultural Commodities Survey. Based on the information released by ABS on December

As the year comes to an end, I’d like to thank sheep producers and industry partners across Australia for the effort, resilience and engagement you’ve shown throughout 2025. 

Australia’s next generation of sheep industry leaders are invited to apply for the Global Sheep Forum Next Generation Program.

Sheep Producers Australia is pleased to announce the election of two highly experienced industry leaders to its Board at today’s Annual General Meeting.

As many of us know, this time of year brings intensity that disrupts even the best-laid routines. Work, rest, and connection often slip. Not due to poor planning, but because the season leaves little room for anything else.

Combining her passion for nursing with her life in the shearing industry, Carol Mudford has created a unique path shaped by both care and community. Raised in a sheep and cropping family, she returned to the sheds during COVID, when a few weeks of wool handling turned into months - and eventually into shearing school and 18 months on the handpiece.

Last month I had the opportunity to attend the World Meat Congress alongside industry leaders, policy makers and supply-chain experts from across the globe. It was a valuable opportunity to reconnect with global colleagues, including counterparts from Beef + Lamb New Zealand, to share insights and compare emerging challenges and opportunities across our sectors.

Louise O’Neill –  a rural wellness expert and West Australian sheep producer- shares insights each month with Sheep Producers Australia. Control is something we all value, and in farming there’s always something happening that’s out of our hands: the weather, fuel prices, markets, policies, or even what the neighbours are doing. It can feel overwhelming at times. That’s why I want to talk about a tool that can really help manage those stressful and overwhelming situations: th

The Global Sheep Forum (GSF) and International Meat Secretariat (IMS) will work together for a one-year trial period to collaborate on shared challenges and opportunities across the global sheep industry. Announced as part of the World Meat Congress in Brazil this week, the alignment will benefit the global sheep industry by strengthening collaboration, improving knowledge exchange, and aligning strategic priorities for the international sheep farming community. As part of th

In the heart of Western Australia’s south west mixed-farming country, Rhodes Pastoral has taken a deliberate, long-term approach to building a resilient sheep enterprise. Farm Manager Michael Wright explains how the 15,378-hectare operation built feedlot, finishing pens, invested in on-farm water security, and focused on producing high-quality lamb. Genetics have underpinned this plan, with Rhodes Pastoral breeding its own Merino rams and operating a registered White Suffolk

Sheep Producers Australia attended the National Farmers’ Federation’s AgXchange 2025 on the Gold Coast, which brought together hundreds of producers, industry leaders, and policymakers to explore the future of Australian agriculture.

For the first time, recently, teams of Merinos from across Australia were benchmarked side-by-side in a single commercial setting as part of the recent Australian Merino Production Trial 2025-2027.

By Lamb-scape columnist, rural counsellor and sheep producer Louise O'Neill I often get asked how to manage stress and overwhelm in a...