Future Merino Breeder Scholarship awarded to SA sheep producers

The scholarship is for graduates of the NSW-based Hay Inc program, in collaboration with the NSW Stud Merino Breeders Association, to help up and coming individuals involved in the industry.

Among the inaugural awardees were Gum Hill stud's James Lines, Mount Bryan, and young farmer Kasey Mullighan, Hilltown, who received their accolades at the 70th Hay Merino Sheep Show earlier this year.

The scholarship will give recipients the chance to work on interstate leading stud operations and learn from a wool broker and professional sheep classer.

Hailing from a family Merino and Poll Merino sheep and cropping farm at Hilltown, Kasey caught wind of the scholarship through her family's sheep classer, Chris Bowman.

"He has been involved in Hay Inc for a number of years and he said I should apply," she said.

Kasey graduated from the Hay Inc Rural Education 2020 program and remained in contact with the organisation as she navigated through the early stages of her career.

"I attended the Hay Merino Sheep Show last year as an associate judge and kept in contact with the organisers," she said.

" I have been taking on as many training opportunities as possible in the past year to work out what I wanted to achieve."

Kasey has decided on a sheep classing career path and will use the scholarship to get hands on at a large-scale NSW Merino stud.

"Our family sources rams from NSW - so I want to check out how those operations run," she said.

"I like travelling to NSW studs to see the strong Merino genetics. I just want to keep learning as much as I can."

Kasey will hit the shearing sheds in August as a roustabout, throughout the Mid North, to gain as much experience to gain a classing certificate.

NSW Stud Merino Breeders president Drew Chapman was pleased to partner with Hay Inc to develop this new scholarship.

"The NSW SMBA Trust believes in investing in youth and establishing pathways to encourage youth to embark on a career in our industry," he said.

Young Mount Bryan stud-hand James hopes to become a positive ambassador for the scholarship in its inaugural year.

"I hope to build a profile for it and craft it for future participants," he said.

James was nominated for the scholarship by the Hay Inc board and was excited about having greater access to the entire supply chain.

He attended the Hay Inc Rural Education program in 2018 and made a "real" effort to commit to the opportunity.

"I was pretty keen and enthusiastic about it - it was exciting and the scholarship has made it even more exciting," he said.

"I am thinking about using the scholarship to attend the Sheepvention at Hamilton, Vic, as a new networking opportunity."

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James has an opportunity to do honours for his Bachelor of Animal Science degree this year and will work at the Davies Livestock Research Centre at Roseworthy.

"I am going to do a foundation study on the stud and look at genomics," he said.

"It will help inform and generate a direction for the stud in the future."

James hoped to line up a stud for work experience later in the year, with him having a strong interest in reproductive technology, such as embryo transfer.

"I am really interested in that area and I would like to learn more about how important mating decisions and ram team selections are from a reproductive point of view," he said.

Hay Inc Rural Education program manager Sandra Ireson said it was an opportunity to learn more about sheep breeding.

"The scholarship can offer young people new experiences in the Merino industry and also provide networking opportunities," she said.