New & innovative technologies in animal management (AAAS) - Meeting Room 6
Tracks
Board Room
| Thursday, April 11, 2024 |
| 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM |
| Meeting Room 6 |
Details
This international session organised in collaboration with the Australian Association of Animal science, will provide the opportunity to hear from a range of speakers from Australia covering sheep, dairy, beef and pork. We will hear about innovative strategies for data collection to make better management and breeding decisions, which will allow improvements in profit, welfare, resilience and sustainability. Two speakers will share the challenges of data collection in the extensive systems of rangeland Australia and developments in automatic monitoring technologies which are enabling better decision making. This will be particularly interesting for those working in uplands where we might learn from the Australian experience. We will also hear about novel breeding strategies in Australia using genomics and proxies to reduce emissions, both through improved herd efficiency and reduction of emissions from individual animals.
Session Sponsor & Speakers
Session Sponsored by AAAS
Professor Luciano Adrian Gonzalez
Professor and Chair in Sustainable Animal Production
The University of Sydney School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science Sydney Institute of Agriculture
New technologies and data science applied on commercial sheep properties in Australia
Prof González is the Nancy Roma Paech chair in Sustainable Livestock Production at The University of Sydney. Luciano has a BSc in Agronomic Engineering (Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina), and MSc and PhD in Animal Production (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain). Luciano’s main areas of interest are ruminant animal production, precision livestock farming, remote sensing, animal behaviour and welfare, and on-farm cycles and balances of greenhouse gases. Prof Gonzalez has a farming background and has previously worked in the livestock industries of Argentina, USA, Spain, Scotland, and Canada in different positions ranging from ‘station hand’ to scientist and academic.
Gregory Sawyer
PhD candidate
The University of Sydney School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science Sydney Institute of Agriculture
Gregory’s professional career has seen him working extensively throughout remote and regional areas of New South Wales and Queensland with sheep producers. He has for 35 years been involved in engaging with producers of all sheep breeds to build on their capability to increase extensive and intensive managed sheep output. Since starting his Ph.D. research in the 2019 drought, he has worked with various commercial producers who have sought information about their flock’s productivity under various management regimes. Greg is now in his final year of his studies on developing assessment tools for remotely monitoring livestock liveweight, growth and mortality, and carcase traits.
Professor Jennie Pryce
Research Director
Agriculture Victoria and La Trobe University
Genomic Selection for a Sustainable Future in Dairy Farming
Professor Jennie Pryce is Research Director at Agriculture Victoria Research and La Trobe University professor, and a leading authority in dairy genetics. Named Australia's top researcher in animal husbandry by The Australian (2019-2022), her academic journey began at the University of Edinburgh, earning her BSc (Hons 1st class) and PhD. Hailing from a UK dairy farming background, her roots deeply influence her work. A fellow of the Association of the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Jennie is also a member of the International Committee on Animal Recording's working group “Feed and Gas” and serves as an editor at the Journal of Dairy Science Communications
Professor Mark Trotter
Prof of Precision Livestock Management
Central Queensland University
The emerging role of integrated sensor technologies for research and commercial application in rangeland beef production
Mark Trotter is the Professor in Precision Livestock Management within the School of Medical an Applied Sciences at Central Queensland University (CQU). Mark is a member of the Future Farming Institute and Precision Livestock Research Group at CQU.
His research interests focus on spatio-temporal variability in agricultural systems and the development of sensors and management techniques that enable producers to increase production and efficiency in the face of variation found in soils, plants and animals.
Dr Thomas Williams
Research Fellow – Precision Livestock
Central Queensland University
Dr. Thomas Williams, with a background in large ruminant health, specialises in ruminant livestock health across farming systems. Since joining CQUniversity's Precision Livestock Management group in 2020, he has focused on developing remote monitoring technologies for Northern Australia's beef industry. His work centres on extracting value from on-animal and off-animal sensors, integrating these to enhance research outcomes and decision-making in cattle systems. This approach aims to improve health and production while promoting sustainable practices in the industry.
Gemma Wyburn
Climate Friendly Farming Program Leader
Australian Pork Limited
Current focuses on environmental sustainability in the Australian pork industry
Gemma is the Climate Friendly Farming Program Leader at Australian Pork, looking after the environmental research program and the data management for the Pork Sustainability Framework. She has worked extensively with intensive animal industries, with a particular focus on research management and industry support.
Chair
Amy Bates
Research Officer – Precision Livestock Management
CQUniversity Australia
Frank Dunshea
Redmond Barry Distionguished Professor and Chair of Agriculture
The University Of Melbourne
