It would be fair to say that Alistair has been passionate about genetics since he first began breeding cattle and merinos. Remarkably, much of his knowledge was self-taught — developed long before the internet made information readily accessible.

As the stud evolved at Earnscleugh Station, Alistair worked with respected Australian wool classer Sandy McUrdy, whose structural and wool assessments gave him the confidence to make disciplined culling and breeding decisions well before genomics and computer-based breeding values.

Always ahead of the curve, Alistair adopted EID technology and breeding value assessment in sheep as early as the 1990s. Decades of commitment to performance recording and data-driven selection are now paying dividends as commercial farmers increasingly embrace EBVs and genetic information.