Modern layout allows shearers to get the job done

The fact that the shearing bill is cheaper due to those efficiencies is almost a bonus, and certainly not the reason why the Shanks family decided to build their new shearing shed at Dubbo.

So strong is the desire to invest in this industry by farmers that some are even dispersing their flock and buying back in with plainer bodied ewes.

Since building the new shed Ben Shanks said 30 farmers had paid the new facility a visit with intentions of doing something similar. Before construction Mr Shanks consulted shearers AWI, and the requirements of workplace health and safety.

Right now there is a shortage of shearers and the old work site, the broken down sheds with no running water, let alone a toilet for the rising number of women entering the industry. In fact, contractors say the efficiency of women is outpacing the men and if it weren't for the shortage the girls would be stealing the jobs from the boys.

The AWI concept, with ergonomic sensibility built in to the open-plan layout allows for smooth work flow, with a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of work stations that gives shearers the right amount of room while the rouseabout at this arrangement's pivot point is within equal reach of all the fleeces. There are flat floors, with no boards or steps to trip-over

The Shanks family shear their first cross ewes and Dorset rams twice a year so no crutching with second cross lambs the product they sell.

"Our wool clip is not our focus. We breed for fat lambs. This new shed is a management thing," he said.

Beyond the ergonomics the new sheds carry an enormous span, typically 16 metres, under cover and which can hold 1100 sheep when the old shed might have covered just 400 so if it rains job's done in a day - 7:30am to 5:10pm - and not all week. That is why he expects shearers to prefer the new sheds over the old ones.

It seems like a big outlay for a structure used twice a year, but being two metres off the ground there is good storage underneath. The Shanks also have a spanned roof over their yards, so can work in the shade.

At Dubbo, shearing contractor Hilton Barrett blames sub-standard on-farm infrastructure for the shearer shortage and has convinced 13 of his district clients to rebuild their sheds based on the latest research from AWI, which shows how to reduce fatigue and improve safety of the worker.

"We can get staff but we can't keep them," he says. "The retention is maybe three per cent and I blame the infrastructure. We have sheds with no fresh water, no running water, no fridge, no microwave, no flush toilets. Farmers need to invest in infrastructure and they've got a limited amount of time to do this before the price of shearing goes through the roof.

The new shed designs, worked out by Mr Barrett with AWI funding using the best shearers he could find - like West Australian Dwayne Blak and New Zealander Terry Cartwright, include efficient layouts that allow a straight drag to the comb and a sloping catching pen, with a 10pc incline, to help take the sheep away.

The new sheds do not have a raised board, something which 70pc of shearers agree is dangerous at worst and uncomfortable at best.

"The good news is that farmers are listening to what the industry needs."

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