The hour of power was presented by nine researchers, scholars and innovators, aged 18 to 30 years. 

MerinoLink chief executive officer Sally Martin said the inaugural hour of power at Goulburn provided university students and graduates with the opportunity to present their research.

“We received comments on how the hour of power was most inspiring and encouraging to see these young people coming through,’’ she said.

“These young speakers were hot, sharp and to the point, and made the most of their networking opportunities.

“It was a great opportunity for them to present their work and ideas to an industry audience.

“We hope to make the hour of power a core component of the conference in future.”

“The average age of our attendees was 44 and this has been consistent year on year.

“The younger demographic appreciate the networking opportunities with industry leaders the MerinoLink conference provides them.’’

Ms Martin said eight out of the nine young speakers were women, with all being tech savy and ooking to help and work in the sheep industry.

The Hour of Power participants were: Kate McCarthy, Charles Sturt University, Octavia Kelly, University of Adelaide, Emma Turner, University of New England, Elise Bowen, Murdoch University, Dione Howard, Charles Sturt University, Forough Ataollahi, Charles Sturt University, Heather Earney, Charles Sturt University, Rachael Gawne, 2017 Peter Westblade Scholar, and Will MacSmith, Corroboree Merinos, Borenore.

Australian Merino Sire Evaluation Association executive officer Ben Swain outlined a project involving a range of historic sires widely used 15 to 20 years ago.

“This has strengthened linkages to older data and demonstrated how far the industry has progressed genetically,’’ Ms Martin said.