Investing in better decisions
AWI Extension connects woolgrowers with practical knowledge, specialist expertise and tools they can take back to their own businesses. From reproduction and weaner management to nutrition, feed budgeting and cost of production, the programs are designed to help growers build skills, challenge existing practices and make better-informed management decisions. For one NSW woolgrower, taking time away from the farm to participate in extension has become an investment not only in the productivity of his Merino enterprise, but in his own capability as a farm manager.
For NSW woolgrower Ben Johnson, taking time away from the farm to attend an extension workshop is not time lost from the business. It is an investment in it.
Ben has participated in several AWI Extension programs, including Winning With Weaners and AWI Feed Budgeting Masterclass, as well as reproduction-focused training. Most recently, he travelled eight hours to Wanganella in southern NSW to attend a cost of production workshop.
“I see these courses as an investment in my business and in myself,” Ben said. “It is a genuine investment in my farm.”
It is an investment Ben believes does not require a dramatic change in production to pay its way.
“How many weaners do I have to save? How many grams do I have to put on them? Or how much grain do I need to save by going to one of these half-day courses to justify that time off-farm?” he said. “You don’t have to make massive improvements to justify attending them and trying to learn something.”
That calculation is at the heart of why Ben has become increasingly committed to professional development. A small improvement in weaner survival, growth rates, feed use, reproduction or another management decision can be multiplied across a flock and over several seasons.
For Ben, however, the value of extension goes beyond individual production gains. The workshops provide an opportunity to step away from the day-to-day demands of farming, hear from specialists and reconsider the way things are done at home.
He describes the experience as reinvigorating and values the opportunity to learn directly from people with deep expertise in their field.
The AWI Feed Budgeting Masterclass was a particular example. Ben said the practical nature of the session and the way the information was simplified made it immediately useful.
A change in mindset
Ben is equally candid that attending a workshop alone does not guarantee its value. The mindset a grower brings through the door matters too. He completed Winning With Weaners several years ago and now believes he would get more from the workshop if he did it again.
“I was in a different mindset,” he said.
His approach to professional development has changed since then. Rather than seeing extension simply as a source of information, Ben now views it as part of his own professional development – an opportunity to question his thinking, build his management skills and take ideas home that can be tested within his own farming system.
For Ben, that willingness to keep developing himself is increasingly important. Farming businesses invest heavily in livestock, genetics, pasture, infrastructure and machinery, but he believes the capability of the people making the decisions deserves the same attention.
That does not mean every idea will apply to every property. In fact, Ben sees that as part of the value of extension: giving producers greater knowledge with which to make their own decisions.
“Ultimately, it comes down to your management, your land and what you can and can’t do,” he said. The objective is not to return home and change everything. It is to return better equipped to decide what should change – and what should not.
"I see these courses as an investment in my business and in myself. It is a genuine investment in my farm."
Getting everyone on the same page
Ben also believes professional development should not stop with the farm owner or manager.
Where possible, he encourages team members and family members involved in the business to undertake training.
“I wanted everyone on the same page, using the same lingo,” he said.
For Ben, the idea of a team extends beyond full-time staff to the consultants and contractors who contribute to the farm business. He believes valuing those people as team members helps create a shared understanding of why management decisions are being made and gives people the confidence and capability to take greater responsibility.
Ben has seen that value through a team member who came to agriculture from another trade and has since undertaken AWI shearing training, returning for further training because he wanted to improve his skills more. For Ben, having skilled people around him has also created opportunities for him to continue developing his own role within the business.
It reinforces his belief that extension should be viewed in much the same way as other investments made to improve a farming operation. There is also an opportunity, he believes, for more woolgrowers to take advantage of the programs available. Having experienced the value himself, Ben would like to continue to see extension opportunities promoted strongly so producers know what is available and make the choice to participate.
Ultimately, his measure of value remains refreshingly straightforward. If several hours away from the farm helps save a few more weaners, improve growth, use feed more efficiently or simply results in one better management decision, the return quickly outweighs the time invested.
And for Ben, investing in himself – and in the skills of the people around him – is every bit as important as investing in the physical assets of the farm.
MORE INFORMATION
wool.com/training-extension/awi-grower-networks/
This article appeared in Issue 106 of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine that was published in September 2026. Reproduction of the article is encouraged and should be attributed as follows: This article was first published in Issue 106 of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine.
