KEVIN ATKINS

Dr Kevin Atkins was awarded a NSW Department of Agriculture Traineeship and graduated B Rur Sc with first class honours from the University of New England in 1970. He was then appointed to Trangie Agricultural Centre as a Livestock Research Officer with responsibility for sheep genetics research projects at Trangie and other locations. This began a research career devoted to bringing about genetic improvement in the sheep industry. Subsequently Kevin graduated M Rur Sc and then in 1981 was awarded a Wool Corporation scholarship to undertake PhD studies at Edinburgh University, Scotland, following a short sojourn at Ruakura in New Zealand. In 1984 Kevin returned to Trangie and in 1986 transferred to Orange to establish and lead the wool genetics research and technology transfer group. He was promoted to Senior Research Scientist in 1989 and Principal Research Scientist in 1997.

Kevin has an outstanding commitment to research, development and implementation of genetic improvement in the sheep industry. He has designed and supervised a wide range of research projects that have developed innovative models for genetic analysis and procedures. During this time he has developed a high reputation among scientific peers throughout Australia and around the world as well as among advisors, consultants and Merino breeders. His establishment of the QPLU$ research flocks at Trangie clearly showed breeders the options available and demonstrated that the outcomes of different breeding programs could be precisely predicted. As an active member of the Sheep Genetics Australia (SGA) Technical Committee, Kevin played a key role in development of the procedures to combine various diverse data bases for Merino genetic evaluation which allowed the national program to be launched by SGA in October 2005.

Kevin established a viable and highly effective cross disciplinary team of scientists, advisors and technicians that provide scientific and technical advice and programs for genetic evaluation to Merino breeders throughout Australia through Advanced Breeding Services and more recently through his vivid contributions to national genetic evaluation in Sheep Genetics Australia. He has developed simple procedures for breeders to make ram source choices that impact directly on their profitability. He also developed Breeding Objective software to assist ram breeders and commercial producers identify the best genetic outcome and the economic benefit that has focused on market needs and increasing industry returns. Kevin was a driver to bring about a major reduction through genetics in the average fibre diameter of wool to match future processing and market requirements. He is currently bringing the sheep industry into the 21st century by the maximum use of data and precision management of sheep through the application of electronic identification and data management throughout the lifetime of the sheep to enhance profitability of sheep enterprises. The change in the sheep industry to wool and meat income streams in the same enterprise adds complexity in meeting optimum market specifications for each of these diverse products. Kevin's research in providing technology and information systems to allow sheep producers to use information repeatedly and more effectively for selection and management decisions is capturing new opportunities and leading to more profitable sheep enterprises. As a Program Manager in the Australian Sheep Industry CRC, Kevin has pioneered the thinking about precision management of animals and the more appropriate partitioning of flocks for management, selection and production of wool and meat products.

Kevin has made an outstanding contribution to science. He has been an author of over 60 scientific journal papers and 75 Scientific Conference papers including 39 at AAABG Conferences. He has been an invited speaker to the last 5 World Congresses on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production as well as numerous national conferences. In 1997 he contributed an acclaimed review on the "Genetics of Wool Production" to the international book "The Genetics of Sheep" (CAB International). His collaborative work with other organisations and mentoring staff to develop their skills has greatly multiplied his impact on industry outcomes.