Livestock consultants, advisers and service providers from across southern Australia are being invited to take part in an intensive two-day professional development program designed to strengthen their capability to support beef and sheep producers.
Supported by the SA Drought Hub, the SA Sheep Industry Fund and Adelaide University, the workshop will be held in the Barossa Valley on 8-9 October 2026.
The program will bring together leading livestock specialists Felicity Turner (Turner Agri), Deb Scammell (Talking Livestock) and Cam Nicholson (Nicon Rural Services), to build practical capability across feedbase optimisation, livestock nutrition and seasonal decision-making.
SA Drought Hub Livestock Technical Lead and project coordinator Dr Penny Schulz said investing in adviser capability was an important way to extend drought preparedness knowledge across the livestock sector.
“Producers rely heavily on trusted advisers when they are making complex decisions about livestock, feed and seasonal risk, particularly as conditions become more challenging,” Dr Schulz said.
“By building the technical knowledge and confidence of advisers to deliver and present to producers, we can extend that capability well beyond the workshop itself and support more producers to make informed decisions before and during dry conditions.”
The program will cover pasture productivity and utilisation, feedbase planning and grazing systems, feed budgeting, matching livestock demand with feed supply, supplementary and containment feeding, and practical approaches to seasonal risk management.
Importantly, the workshop will go beyond technical information. Participants will work through activities, decision-support tools and facilitation techniques they can take back to their clients and producer groups.
“The workshop will support participants to leave with practical tools they can use immediately, whether that is helping a producer work through a feed budget, consider containment feeding, assess seasonal risk or facilitate a discussion with a producer group,” Dr Schulz said.
The workshop is free to attend, with catering and a networking dinner included. Places are strictly limited. Livestock consultants, advisers and service providers must register their interest.
When: 8-9 October 2026
Where: Barossa Valley, South Australia
Register interest: EOI form – Enhanced Livestock Management Advisor Intensive
Applications close: 25 September 2026
For further information, contact:
Dr Penny Schulz, Project Coordinator – Enhanced Livestock Management Project
M: 0417 853 094
E: penny.schulz@adelaide.edu.au
The Enhanced Livestock Management Project has been supported by the SA Drought Hub through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, and the South Australian Sheep Industry Fund.
