Some of Australia's best sheep producers and woolgrowers have been recognised during the 2023 ACM Agri Lambition Awards, with winners spread across Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
The winners of the five prestigious awards were announced on Saturday night during the iconic Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo.
The awards recognised sustainability, leadership, innovation and production in the sheep and wool industry and attracted nominations from 19 graziers across Australia, including WA, the ACT and SA.
The five awards included the Elanco Sustainable Sheep Producer of the Year, the Zoetis 2023 Prime Lamb Producer of the Year, the Clipex 2023 Woolgrower of the Year, the Marcus Oldham Flock Leader and the Boehringer Ingelheim Industry Innovator.
Stock & Land editor Joely Mitchell said the awards showcased exemplary work on Australian farms.
"These winners are some of our country's most sustainable, innovative, forward-thinking and progressive leaders in our industry," Ms Mitchell said.
"These people have set high industry benchmarks in the process of navigating tumultuous livestock and fibre prices, droughts, floods, bushfires, and of course, COVID-19."
Elanco Sustainable Sheep Producer of the Year: Charles and Amanda Fairbairn-Calvert, Skipton, Victoria
On-farm sustainability is second-nature to Skipton Merino farmers, Charles and Amanda Fairbairn-Calvert, who were awarded the Elanco Sustainable Sheep Producer of the Year for 2023.
Inheriting the land from Mr Fairbairn-Calvert's father, the pair have worked tirelessly to regenerate the land, creating an eco-friendly haven for their fine wool Merinos to roam.
What began as cleared, dusty farmland on volcanic soil, now has thousands of trees, more than 5000 ewes, about 1500 wethers, cropping paddocks and 700 hectares of seeds, beans, cereals, grass clovers and more.
They plant more than 2000 trees each year, with hundreds of thousands on the property, and have also reinstated 400 hectares of water across their land from a lake and wetlands.
"I married a girl whose father was a very strong environmentalist, which helped push it along and encouraged it," Mr Fairbairn-Calvert said.
Elanco sheep senior brand manager and award judge Kathryn Humphries said Elanco wholeheartedly applauded their commitment and dedication to implement sustainable practices across their property.
"What sets Charles and Amanda Fairbairn-Calvert apart is their proactive approach to planting a diverse range of tree species and creating enriched habitats for their sheep has successfully fostered a thriving ecosystem, benefiting both their livestock and the local wildlife and flora," Ms Humphries said.
Zoetis 2023 Prime Lamb Producer of the Year: Angus Denholm, Norton Mandeville, Tasmania
Tasmanian prime lamb producer Angus Denholm was recognised for his commitment to enhance his knowledge of the sheep industry after he was crowned the Zoetis 2023 Prime Lamb Producer of the Year.
Mr Denholm, 26, Norton Mandeville, Tas, became a livestock manager of the Salmon family's lamb breeding operation after he completed a Bachelor of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham College.
Prior to his degree, he spent time picking up practical skills at several NSW Merino properties, including Egelabra, Eenaweena and Pooginook.
He started work as Norton Mandeville's livestock manager at the beginning of 2021 and now oversees the management and husbandry of 13,500 composite ewes and smaller stud flock.
"Prime lambs were not somewhere I saw myself heading, but it was a very good opportunity to learn another aspect of the sheep industry on a much more intensive scale," he said.
Zoetis livestock marketing manager and award judge Daniel Guest said Mr Denholm's commitment to improving objective data to produce high-quality lambs with better eating qualities should be commended.
Clipex 2023 Woolgrower of the Year: Sam Nicolson, Fingal Valley, Tasmania
Sam and Mel Nicolson, Fingal Valley, Tas, took out the Clipex Woolgrower of the Year award for their conservation work in eastern Tasmania.
The couple were nominated by their peers and recognised for their continued work in sustainably, looking after the native land on their property, Bonneys Plains.
About 7000 sheep are run on the traditional superfine wool-growing farm, with large portions of native grassland.
Mr Nicolson said there was a fine line between running a sustainable, but viable wool-growing business.
"About 80 per cent of the farm would be native-run country and the rest of the balance being arable, so it lends itself to superfine Merino wool," he said.
Clipex general manager and award judge Matthew Adlington said the Nicolsons prioritised sensitive land management practices and conservation.
"Sam and Mel stood out to us as it's very clear they have worked hard to grow not only the size of production, but also the quality," Mr Adlington said.
Marcus Oldham Flock Leader: Malcolm Nicholls, Straford, Victoria
One of the wool industry's finest retired just weeks before he was announced as the Marcus Oldham Flock Leader for 2023.
Outgoing Elders Gippsland district wool manager Malcolm Nicholls, Stratford, was given the award for his long-standing commitment to Australia's wool industry.
Mr Nicholls' career at Elders included branch manager at Sale, show floor manager and wool auctioneer at Melbourne, and district wool manager in Gippsland.
Mr Nicholls previously won the Wool Broker of the Year award and has helped coordinate the Gippsland charity wool bale auction for eight years in support of Ambulance Victoria's air ambulance fleet.
"We've raised over $100,000 now for the medical helicopters which are so necessary for people based in those remote areas," he said.
Marcus Oldham College principal and award judge Andrew Baker said Mr Nicholls' life-long dedication to the wool industry made him a "standout candidate" among many.
"His unwavering commitment to the industry, spanning over three decades, along with his active involvement in the local community, has rightfully earned him this honour," Mr Baker said.
Boehringer Ingelheim Industry Innovator: Simon Ross and Graeme Ross, Bathurst, NSW
Meanwhile, Bathurst, NSW, farmers who increasingly opened themselves to various research projects were announced as the Boehringer Ingelheim Industry Innovators during the ACM Agri 2023 Lambition Awards.
Father and son Graeme and Simon Ross, Willow Glen, Bathurst, NSW, took out top honours in the category for undertaking innovative ways to collect vital data for future quality sheep and wool production.
The GWS Ross operation also includes Graeme's wife, Wendy Ross.
Simon said the farm had the desire to maximise production through drought, and took part in the Grazing For Drought project, overseen by the local Landcare network.
He said the project had two facets to it, including a field day to understand the benefits of adaptive planned grazing, and a trial to implement the practice.
"We set up 60 by 60 pens and we grazed sheep at different rotations, so there were two 90-day rotations and two 180-day rotations on our farm," Mr Ross said.
"What we wanted to achieve was to see what was the optimum length of rest that would allow us to keep 100pc ground cover, but not allow us to destock too much in a drought."
Boehringer Ingelheim national key account manager and award judge Sam Custodio said the Ross family showed great initiative by improving animal health on their farm.
"[Their] Merinolink and Grazing for Drought projects clearly aligns with our Boehringer Ingelheim's global innovation and sustainability strategies in improving the lives and wellbeing of animals," Mr Custodio said.
