Current as of 1/6/2023

A Research Management Consulting company specialising in the co-ordination of research and development programs for the agricultural industries and governments.

Company Director: John L Black AM FTSE FAIAST FASAP FNSA B. Agric. Sci. Dip. Ed. PhD

Emeritus Adjunct Professor in Veterinary Science, University of Sydney

Honorary Research Fellow, University of Western Australia

Author of 289 research papers and reports covering many aspects of nutrition, physiology and knowledge integration across most species of livestock.

John Black was a Research Scientist in the CSIRO Division of Animal Production from 1971 until 1996, achieving the highest promotional level of Chief Research Scientist in 1990, was Assistant Chief of the Division and Officer-in-Charge of the Prospect Laboratory from 1992-1996 and Acting Chief of the Division during 1995.

Company Activities:

The Company specialises in the management of research programs and the application of scientific principles to the animal and agricultural industries. The main activities of the Company include:

• Development of research programs and budgets in consultation with clients, the formation of research teams from various research providers and management of the research to deliver the outcomes required by the client

• Review existing research programs for clients and recommend future research and budgeting activities to meet client objectives

• Review the literature and other available information and recommend research strategies to meet the objectives of the client.

Since 2017 I have been managing voluntarily a research project through the University of Western Australia to determine the impact of industrial emissions on the world unique petroglyphs on Murujuga (Burrup Peninsula) in northwest Western Australia. Funds for this project were donated by the public and the program is independent of government or industry funding.

John Black has been the most significant single figure in advancing the Australian pig industry in the last decade.

The AUSPIG decision support software package for profitable management of piggeries, based on the best nutritional science available, has given Australian pig producers several years' lead on the rest of the world. It has also been commercialised overseas in a way that has benefited Australia and CSIRO financially and has laid the basis for similar developments in other intensive livestock industries.

AUSPIG and other projects currently under development (particularly AUSBEEF, an equivalent system for intensive ruminant production) have the potential to keep Australian intensive livestock world competitive. They are based on Black's leadership in model building and his intense commitment to technology transfer through decision support software systems, the only way that modern knowledge can be integrated and delivered to livestock producers.