Professor James is regarded as Australia's leading scientist in quantitative genetics and the theory of genetic improvement. Professor James' contributions have been made in several areas - through his research, his teaching and professorial activities, and involvement with the industry in Australia and overseas.
The contributions by Professor James are substantially larger than most appreciate. The range of new theory he has produced, its high relevance to the design of modern genetic improvement programs and the impact of this work on moulding our approaches to how greater genetic improvement can be achieved in practice, have been very substantial.
Professor James' work will become even more important in the future as we strive to improve the production of food and Australia's position in the global marketplace.
Professor Piper is a geneticist who has been concerned with improving sheep productivity in the wool industry for the past 30 years. Professor Piper's contributions have been made in several areas - through his research, involvement with the industry in Australia and overseas, and achievements as a research manager.
Dr Piper has established an outstanding reputation nationally and internationally in the field of quantitative genetics and sheep breeding. His extensive studies have contributed substantially to a comprehensive description of the genetic and phenotypic relationships among the principal traits of economic importance in the Australian Merino.
These studies have made a significant contribution to the development of national breeding programs for improving economic performance in wool and meat producing sheep. Their value has been recognised by invitations to present keynote addresses at national and international animal breeding meetings and by continuing requests for consultancy advice at both national and international levels.
During the period since July 1988, Dr Piper's activities have increasingly been focussed on research management. In his role as Manager of the Sheep Breeding Program, he has provided outstanding research leadership and has become a highly valued and effective member of the senior management team.
Of special significance has been Dr Piper's involvement in the successful bid to establish a CRC for Premium Quality Wool. In February 1992, a group of organisations met to consider the merits of mounting a bid for a CRC in the wool industry area. It was decided to proceed and Dr Piper was appointed as Coordinator of the Planning Committee, member of the Steering Group and Director designate of the proposed CRC.
The success of this bid was due to a concerted and high quality team effort over a nine month period. Dr Piper led the team and much of the credit for the eventual success of the bid was due to his skills as a leader and negotiator, and to his dedication to completing a complicated and difficult task in a truly professional manner.
Dr Piper's expertise and contributions to quantitative genetics and sheep breeding have been recognised by continuing invitations to present keynote addresses at national and international animal breeding meetings and by his election in 1990 to replace Dr Helen Newton Turner as the Australian representative on the permanent scientific committee of the World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production.
His expertise and reputation is also evidenced by continuing national and international requests for animal breeding consultancy advice by his membership of the WRDC Panel on Animal Production and Farm Management.
He has become a vitally important link between the Division of Animal Production and the ram breeding sector of the Merino sheep industry in Australia.
Mr Litchfield is the first practitioner to win this prestigious award. The previous two winners were both scientists - Professor John James and Dr Laurie Piper.
James Litchfield was educated at Tudor House and then King's School Parramatta, and graduated in 1944. After a short period in the Navy he worked as a jackaroo at Uardry Merino Stud in the Riverina. In 1949, he returned to the home property Hazeldean.
James Litchfield is an innovator and industry leader as reflected by the important roles played on various committees:
James' objective has always been the improvement of the genetic capacity of the stud flocks and, therefore, the flocks of clients. The breeding program has been based on the principles of population genetics and a management regime that encourages true expression of genetic differences of heritable traits governing the capacity to turn grass into dollars.
In the Merino stud, the selection strategy has for 40 years involved objectively measured traits of economic importance, while disregarding traits of cosmetic value only, to achieve maximum progress that is reflected in greater realised productivity and gross margins.
The Hazeldean Angus Stud was established in 1952. In 1954, James became directly involved in performance recording of the Merino Stud sheep at Hazeldean. In 1960, performance recording of the cattle enterprise was commenced with Hazeldean becoming a foundation member of a pilot scheme that led to the National Beef Recording Scheme in 1972 and which has since flourished, reflecting the persistence and example provided by James Litchfield. The Hazeldean herd has become one of the most successful Angus herds in Australia, with a reputation for a product that is sound and has reliable performance, that was achieved without reliance on show performance.
Hazeldean Merino Stud occupies a similar position of high repute to that of the Angus enterprise. James Litchfield served on the Council of the NSW Stud Merino Breeders' Association from 1965 to 1984 when he was appointed a Life Governor, being President of the Association from 1980 to 1982. He was also Foundation Co-President of the Australian Federation of Performance Breeders in the 1980s.
James is noted for being an outstanding Merino sheep breeder, blending with performance measurement his own special judgements concerning constitution and conformation. The outstanding performance of Hazeldean rams in sire evaluation schemes and of Hazeldean blood teams in wether trails reflects the success of James Litchfield's breeding program.
James Litchfield is a quiet achiever who has been recognised by a number of other awards, including the Howard Yelland Award for service to the beef industry in 1986, a NSW Agriculture Shield for services to agriculture in 1990, and the Wool Foundation Eliza Furlonge Medal for services to sheep breeding and science in 1992.
Professor Barker is one of the world's most prominent contributors to animal breeding. His contributions have been in research, teaching and industry leadership, and have been both national and international.
Professor Barker and his students have made many fundamental discoveries in animal breeding, including:
He has published 215 papers in these and related fields.
In 1993 he was awarded a prestigious ARC Senior Research Fellowship.
He is or has been on the editorial boards of 5 international journals.
As far as teaching is concerned, Stuart Barker has been the most influential trainer of animal breeders in Australia. Many of his students have attained prominence, including:
Professor Barker's involvement in industry affairs include providing leadership in animal breeding within Australia and worldwide. He ran a most prominent group at the University of Sydney from 1956-1979. Subsequently, he rejuvenated animal breeding at the University of New England from 1979-1993 as Head of the Department of Animal Science.
Professor Barker was Foundation President of the highly successful Australian Association of Animal Breeding and Genetics. Further, he is President of the Society for the Advancement of Breeding Research in Asia and Oceania, and has served as President of the Genetics Society of Australia.
He has had a prominent role in breed conservation efforts in south-east Asia and has been an invited member of the FAO/UNEP Expert Panel on Animal Genetics Resources Conservation and Management since 1983.
Professor Barker has been a member of a large number of Advisory and Expert Committees, as well as consultant to different animal breeding concerns.
1994 Helen Newton Turner Medal Recipient - J. W. James
1995 Helen Newton Turner Medal Recipient - L. R. Piper
1997 Helen Newton Turner Medal Recipient - J. Litchfield
1998 Helen Newton Turner Medal Recipient - J. S. F. Barker