The University of Western Australia

Assoc/Prof John Milton

Research Associate Professor
School of Animal Biology

Contact details

Address

School of Animal Biology
The University of Western Australia (M085)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

6488 2540

Fax

6488 2243

Email

john.milton@uwa.edu.au

Qualifications

BSc(Agric) PhD Qld

Biography

I was born in 1952 and grew up on grain and livestock properties in western Queensland. I graduated in Agricultural Science from the University of Queensland in 1974 and was awarded a doctorate in ruminant nutrition in 1984 from that university. The research for my PhD was on factors influencing food intake and phosphorus metabolism in ruminants. This research provided an understanding of how phosphorus deficiency depresses the food intake of ruminants and helped to rationalise phosphorus supplementation in the field.
I spent two years growing crops on my own farm in south-east Queensland as well as providing a feed analysis and consultancy service.
I then spent six years as Resident Adviser and later Assistant Project Director for a foreign aid project in southern Thailand. This project involved agricultural education, research and extension within the Faculty of Natural Resources of the Prince of Songkla University.
Since returning to Australia in 1991 I have carried out applied research to encourage year-round production of quality prime lambs in Western Australia. This has focused on identifying and encouraging the use of animals of superior genetics, enhancing reproductive performance of ewes by better feeding, breeding and management, and developing out-of-season production and feeding systems for prime lambs. I am also involved in research to exploit our understanding of ruminant digestive physiology for the advancement of the beef and cattle industries and to overcome specific problems of the Western Australian wool industry.

Teaching

I currently lecture in the following units:
703.351 Animal Science & Technology

Current projects

I currently supervise the following fourth year students in 2003:

Peter Hutton - Does sunflower oil increase Conjugated Linoleic acids in the milk fat of different breeds of sheep

Diane Mayberry - Supplementing satlbush with straw to increase ruminal microbe activity

Travis Murray - The grazing behaviour of merino sheep selected for temperament

Chad Reynolds - Use of agricultural by-products in rations for lotted prime lambs

Clint Thompson - Using alkalis to knock out ARGT (annual ryegrass toxicity) in contaminated feedstuffs

Research profile

Research profile and publications