Summer Newsletter 2026

Welcome to AWI Extension WA’s Summer Newsletter for 2026. This newsletter is packed with the latest resources and information to help WA woolgrowers. 
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In this newsletter, we cover:

1. The WA woolgrower’s guide to containment feeding - Containment feeding has become a vital tool for WA woolgrowers to protect fragile soils and maintain or increase stock condition through the increasingly long summer-autumn feed gap. This guide provides practical steps on site selection, nutrition, and infrastructure, featuring expert insights from Esperance woolgrower Simon Fowler on how to lift flock performance while reducing costs.
   

2. Improving conception, scanning results and lamb survival -  Improving conception, scanning, and lamb survival is a multi-faceted game that begins months before the rams go out. This guide outlines the critical links between pre-joining nutrition, mating duration, and pregnancy management, providing Western Australian woolgrowers with a roadmap to optimise ewe energy reserves and lift whole-flock productivity through the challenging summer-autumn period.
   

3. Practical steps to drought-proof your sheep enterprise - Hotter, drier seasons are now the reality for WA woolgrowers — and improving farm resilience is no longer optional. In this article, Bruce Rock woolgrower and Drought Hub Knowledge Broker Tanya Kilminster shares practical, research-backed strategies to plan ahead, protect core genetics and secure feed and water before the next dry hits. Discover the steps that can safeguard your flock, land and bottom line.
   

4. Staying ahead of Barber’s Pole: Managing worm risk in a changing WA climate - Internal parasites remain one of the costliest challenges for WA woolgrowers, but the "rules" of engagement are shifting. Evidence shows barber’s pole worm egg counts are now remaining above risk thresholds year-round in regions previously considered low-risk. This article breaks down the integrated worm management pillars—monitoring, nutrition, grazing, genetics, strategic drenching and vaccinating—required to break the cycle of reinfection and protect your bottom line.
   

5. Wool trivia challenge - Test your knowledge with a quick 10-question trivia challenge. Wool ewe take the challenge?

6. Wool Grower Needs WA: 2026 Survey - Complete this short survey to have your say about what upcoming topics, extension priority areas and initiatives AWI Extension WA should deliver during 2026 and beyond. 

We've also provided a bunch of additional resources and information to help throughout the articles in this newsletter. 

Scroll down to check it all out!

As always, please get in touch with Georgia with any comments, suggestions, feedback or requests for workshops in your region, visit contact us.

Wool trivia challenge!

Test your knowledge with a quick 10-question trivia challenge.

Wool ewe take the challenge?

Click on the following link to access the quiz and view the answers > bit.ly/4jR45nF

Submit your answers, then click on "View accuracy" to see how you went.

Wool Grower Needs WA - 2026 Survey

Click on the link to complete the survey: https://tinyurl.com/y27r9d2x

Other AWI Extension WA Initiatives

Make sure you stay tuned via our social media platforms to keep up to date with the latest research and advice. We're also currently working on releasing a Deep Dive Series of YouTube episodes to further support WA woolgrowers, so keep an eye out for these over the next few months!

If you haven't already, make sure you catch up on our webinars held during 2025.

You can watch full replays on YouTube by clicking on the following links:

• Making Money Out of Wool Webinar - https://youtu.be/3HZV8rKdHtY?si=DhAHBo6lKjaGn0Cl
• Using EID for profit and productivity Webinar - https://buff.ly/sa6nJEM
• Making cent$ of carbon and emissions on-farm Webinar - https://buff.ly/bPmksM9
• Water-smart management strategies Webinar - https://buff.ly/3yRYxbt
• Making Sense of ASBVs & Selection Indexes Webinar - https://buff.ly/FCS8LHu

Newsletter Articles Summer 2026

We’ve carefully crafted four articles for your perusal to support you through the next few months and set you up for future success.

The WA woolgrower’s guide to containment feeding

Containment feeding has become a vital tool for WA woolgrowers to protect fragile soils and maintain or increase stock condition through the increasingly long summer-autumn feed gap. This guide provides practical steps on site selection, nutrition, and infrastructure, featuring expert insights from Esperance woolgrower Simon Fowler on how to lift flock performance while reducing costs.

Improving conception, scanning results and lamb survival

Improving conception, scanning, and lamb survival is a multi-faceted game that begins months before the rams go out. This guide outlines the critical links between pre-joining nutrition, mating duration, and pregnancy management, providing Western Australian woolgrowers with a roadmap to optimise ewe energy reserves and lift whole-flock productivity through the challenging summer-autumn period.

Practical steps to drought-proof your sheep enterprise

Hotter, drier seasons are now the reality for WA woolgrowers — and improving farm resilience is no longer optional. In this article, Bruce Rock woolgrower and Drought Hub Knowledge Broker Tanya Kilminster shares practical, research-backed strategies to plan ahead, protect core genetics and secure feed and water before the next dry hits. Discover the steps that can safeguard your flock, land and bottom line.

Staying ahead of Barber’s Pole: Managing worm risk in a changing WA climate

Internal parasites remain one of the costliest challenges for WA woolgrowers, but the "rules" of engagement are shifting. Evidence shows barber’s pole worm egg counts are now remaining above risk thresholds year-round in regions previously considered low-risk. This article breaks down the integrated worm management pillars—monitoring, nutrition, grazing, genetics, strategic drenching and vaccinating—required to break the cycle of reinfection and protect your bottom line.