Another of WA’s legendary buyers of livestock, WAMMCO’s Wayne Radford retires

Wayne Radford, will retire at the end of 2022 after a 56 year career in the industry.

Wayne left John Curtin High School at Fremantle to join the skins team at Wesfarmers before moving to Anchorage Butchers as their Geraldton-based buyer for seven years. He later became an integral buyer for the former WA Meat Marketing Co-operation before joining Peter Krupa at WAMMCO when Peter was appointed Livestock Manager for the newly formed WA Meat Marketing Cooperative in 1999.

It was this team under the direction of Manager Peter Krupa, and buyers Wayne Radford and Kojonup-based Brian Norsworthy, with the strong support of early CEO Des Griffiths and the WAMMCO Directors under then Chairman Dawson Bradford, who introduced the WAMMCO forward contracts that transformed the WA lamb industry.

“Lamb Contract prices of $3/kg in December 2001 and 3.40/kg in 2002 attracted bigger producers with regular numbers and also boosted producer demand for better genetics and their interest in feedlotting,” Wayne said last week. “The new system helped lamb producers to invest in better stock and to survive some very dry seasons, and also brought stock firm specialists like Elders’ rep at Wongan Hills, Jeff Brennan into the equation.” 

Wayne said 39-year-old producer Bryce McNamara of Wongan Hills was one of several elite lamb producers in WA who had formed a buyer/agent partnership that was developing quickly as a feedlot success story based on advice from Jeff Brennan, on genetics, feeding and markets from Rob Davidson, himself and the team at WAMMCO. 

“Bryce has just harvested a 3.3T/ha wheat crop that matched last season and yielded well above his 10-year average of 1.8T/ha. 

“He returned after a break of around 20 years, to serious feedlotting in 2019 and is already in the elite category with his new sights on 30,000 lambs per season using a genetic mix of Merinos and White Suffolks. Lamb will be the most vital component of his future business at the cusp of the northern wheatbelt.” 

“A feature of his feeding/marketing systems, is that he has already invited more than 20 local sheep producers to take advantage of his investment by breeding lambs for sale of their lambs through his system.” 

“Bryce McNamara is one of an increasing number of WAMMCO producers who continue to expand their quality lamb production as a major feature of their farm business, - whilst also creating new opportunities for others.” 

“Around 90 percent of WAMMCO’s lambs now are going over the scales in a further change away from auctions and our producers will continue to lead that trend,” Wayne said. 

Wayne said WAMMCO’s newly appointed Livestock Manager Mike Curnick was adapting quickly to his challenging new State role – as well as taking responsibility for his (Wayne’s) former sales territory. 

The Cooperative had also welcomed well known buyer, Sean Cusack as buyer for the Southern region from a home base in Albany and Sean replaces Southern buyer Darren Robertson who hasd recently joined the livestock team at Nutrien Gnowangerup.