AWI EXTENSION TAS
AWI Extension TAS is Australian Wool Innovation’s key investment in extension and communication for the Tasmanian sheep and wool industries.
Its mission is to deliver best-practice information and extension, and facilitate ongoing change towards more profitable and sustainable sheep and wool businesses in Tasmania.
Its mission is to deliver best-practice information and extension, and facilitate ongoing change towards more profitable and sustainable sheep and wool businesses in Tasmania.
AWI Extension TAS delivers information via e-newsletters, hardcopy publications, workshops, field days, webinars, and online content, and is a continuation of the highly-successful AWI Sheep Connect Tasmania program that engaged with more than 4,500 sheep and wool growers during 2009–2025.
Stay up-to-date with the latest Tasmanian sheep and wool industry events and information by subscribing to our popular e-newsletters that go to more than 600 Tasmanian sheep and wool growers.
Stay up-to-date with the latest Tasmanian sheep and wool industry events and information by subscribing to our popular e-newsletters that go to more than 600 Tasmanian sheep and wool growers.
Recent Newsletters
Newsletters
Preparing your pregnant ewes for success
Getting ewe nutrition right during pregnancy is one of the most powerful ways to lift lamb survival and wool production. This article outlines practical targets for ewe condition scoring, managing nutrition and scanning for multiples, along with strategies to manage metabolic disease risk during late pregnancy and early lactation.
Newsletters
Most common diseases and conditions seen in sheep in 2025
The Tasmanian Livestock Health Report summarises information on livestock diseases and conditions observed by rural service providers across Tasmania. Following is a summary of the most common diseases and conditions seen in sheep in Tasmania during 2025.
Newsletters
A disciplined approach to Merino breeding and selection
On Tasmania’s East Coast, the Fergusson family has developed a highly structured and disciplined approach to Merino breeding and selection, underpinned by a clear long-term objective, strategic selection index and visual classing information.
Newsletters
Maximising your clip’s value: understanding wool prices and managing risk
The price you receive for your clip isn’t just about what the market does—it’s about how well your clip aligns with buyer demand. This article explores how to maximise returns by aligning your clip with market demand, the impact of staple strength and contamination control. It provides practical steps to move beyond production risk using tools like forward contracts and price hedging to protect margins and make informed decisions in a volatile global market.
Newsletters
East Coast woolgrower joins AWI Extension TAS Producer Advisory Panel
East Coast woolgrower, Will Fergusson, has been appointed to the AWI Extension Tasmania Producer Advisory Panel (PAP), bringing strong regional representation, strategic insight and a deep commitment to Merino wool production.
Newsletters
From complexity to clarity with data-driven decision making
Data is a powerful tool for scaling a business — but only when it is integrated into a strategic, actionable workflow. By moving away from collecting ‘useless’ data and creating a strategic and actionable work flow based on meaningful measurement, Will Bignell, Bothwell, Tasmania has built a “big simple system” that rewards discipline, efficiency and informed decision-making.
Newsletters
Parvovirus a real risk for Tasmanian working dogs
Parvovirus infection has been reported in dogs in northern Tasmania and has already resulted in the death of at least one valuable young working dog. Dr Bruce Jackson, consulting veterinarian, says producers should not underestimate the seriousness of the disease.
“Parvovirus is one of the ‘big three’ killer diseases of dogs, along with distemper and canine infectious hepatitis,” Bruce explained.
Newsletters
Beyond the ram release: managing the joining window for better conception rates
For many woolgrowers, joining starts the day the rams go out, but targeting better scanning results starts well before the rams are released and reproductive performance is influenced well before — and well after — you let the boys loose.
Resources
AWI Extension TAS has a comprehensive range of more than 80 guides, fact sheets, checklists, online content, and other resources that support you and your business.
Topics include feed budgeting & nutrition, lamb marking & pain relief, weaner management, condition scoring, worms, flies & lice, footrot, sheep handling equipment, shearing sheds & yards, managing pest animals, genetics, breeding & selection, succession planning, drought & dry conditions, pasture, water, farm business management, and more.
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