WALRC’s Livestock Matters Forum Summary

The 2026 WALRC Livestock Matters Forum brought together producers, researchers, advisors and industry stakeholders for a day of practical learning, collaboration and discussion on the future of Western Australia’s sheep industry.

This year’s program focused on building resilient, future-ready sheep enterprises through on-farm demonstrations, research insights and emerging technologies. Attendees explored Optiweigh technology in action, toured confinement feeding systems on Hamish Thompson’s property, and heard from industry leaders on practical strategies to improve productivity, profitability and long-term sustainability.

The forum was a resounding success, with 96.5% of survey respondents reporting they learned something new. Eighty-five participants completed post-event surveys, providing valuable feedback on current industry challenges, knowledge gaps and future research priorities.

A key theme to emerge was the need to strengthen the link between research and on-farm adoption through practical extension, demonstrations and accessible communication. These insights, together with feedback gathered across WALRC’s Livestock Matters forums, have since informed WALRC’s submission of research priorities to Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), helping ensure future research investment reflects the needs of Western Australian producers.

The forum highlighted the value of bringing industry together to share knowledge, build connections and shape the future direction of research and extension for WA’s red meat and livestock sector.