Note: Amelia was awarded a scholarship in 2022 but deferred the project to 2024.
The proposed project will involve interacting with a wide variety of producers, consultants and researchers across the sheep/wool industry, in order to collect and verify data that can be used in adapting the AFO model. In particular, I will be co-supervised by John Young (Farming Systems Anaysis Service) and assisted by Michael Young based at Kojonup – John and Michael are the only two skilled users of AFO in Australia so building technical capacityin using AFO will have long term benefits for the wool industry. The proposed project will necessitate developing strong interpersonal skills, and allow the development of professional relationships with industry participants. Of necessity, in completing the project, critical thinking skills, economic analysis and an in depth understanding of the complexities of farm systems will be of benefit and in any future career path in the wool industry. The student will also be presenting her research at field days, and conferences, allowing her to further develop her public speaking and communication skills.