TARANA farmer, Robert Webb has been awarded with a Nuffield scholarship to help develop skills in his chosen agriculture industry.
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The Nuffield Australia Farming scholarships aim is to develop potential and promote excellence in all aspects of Australian agricultural production, distribution and management through the adoption of local and international best practice, and continuous development of industry leaders and innovators.
Robert, pictured above, received a Nuffield Scholarship supported by Australian Wool Innovation.
He will study the use of fire as a native pasture management tool.
The Webb family owns and operates a seventh-generation fine wool Merino production and beef property that is spread across two properties totalling 1190 hectares.
They run approximately 2000 fine wool Merino breeding ewes, 1500 fine wool Merino wethers, 700 prime lambproducing ewes and 150 beef (Shorthorn Hereford cross) breeding cows.
He assists his partners with financial planning and benchmarking of the business.
Robert, along with his brother Hugh, also runs Denhine Pty Ltd, a business managing investment and small acreage farms across Central Tablelands.
Robert said fire rejuvenates native pasture and makes it more productive, which in turn can benefit woolgrowers by improving profitability through increased fleece weight and staple strength.
“Use of fire in agriculture is one [subject] I’m very passionate about,” he said.
“Before European settlement the country used to burn naturally. I can see the benefits of fire as a pasture management tool.”
Mr Webb said we are never too old to learn, and applicants for the scholarships must be aged between 30 to 44-years-old.
Mr Webb will visit wool producing countries, as well as other grazing enterprises, to gain further knowledge of the use of fire as a grazing management tool.
In February next year he will go to Paris with the rest of the world’s scholars for a debriefing. Then in June he’ll go on a six-week tour of Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Netherlands and USA.
“Then I have another eight-week individual tour to study my particular topic. Exactly where to go is still in the process of being decided,” he said.
“This is a lifetime opportunity and I will be relying on the troops back home to keep on top of everything.”
