Aims:  The Cicerone Project was a producer-led research project, which had an aim to increase the profitability and sustainability of grazing-based agriculture on the Northern Tablelands. 

Cicerone met these aims by facilitating research, organising and creating extension activities, and working to provide a novel learning environment for researchers, extension agents and farmers to develop new ideas and techniques.

Cicerone was an independent body, run for the benefits of investors and financial members. The project was led by producers and involved individuals and groups with stakes in the success of Northern Tablelands agriculture.

Our Achievements

The board of management's structure and composition has been determined by the following principles:

• Is led by producers
• Makes decisions based on consensus
• Takes responsibility for financial and employment matters
• Comprises members who represent the interests of all stakeholders in the Project including producers, CSIRO, NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI), TAFE and the University of New England (UNE)
• Is accountable to its stakeholders
• Ensures that strong and effective links are maintained with related projects, to minimise duplication of effort and maximise benefits to producers.

2007	The project changed focus and concentrated on leaving a legacy of our achievements by redesigning the web site and updating all the content, allowing worldwide access to the information generated by the project.  The other major activity is the drafting of a wide range of some 20 papers for publiciation in a refereed journal - so that the legacy of Cicerone will be seen long into the future.  These papers are being written by many of those intimately involved in the planning, results, postgraduate research, etc. conducted over the past 8 years. Following the end of the lease of land for the farmlet studies, all of Cicerone's farm equipment was sold at a clearing sale in February and the farm manager's role ceased in April.
2006	Australian Wool Innovation funded Cicerone to conduct a harvest year. The trials were finished and all information gathered, tabulated and results drawn up summarising the six years of research. The delivery of information included a major Symposium in May. The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries delivered information days to surrounding districts in a series of 'road shows'. As the funding from our main sponsor, Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) ceased in mid 2006, the Cicerone Board surveyed its members to ascertain the future direction of the project. Overwhelmingly the survey showed (Results in final extension report) that the constituents were pleased with the work that had been conducted and wished it to continue. As a result the Board compiled a comprehensive five year funding prospectus that was sent to various funding organisations to invite them to continue the good work that WoolMark/AWI had started. The prospectus focused on this producer-lead organisation continuing to study long-term profitability and sustainability of grazing based systems in the summer dominant, high rainfall zone of the Northern Tablelands. The prospectus was titled: Cicerone 2 “Improving environmental and whole-farm outcomes”. This was followed up by various meetings, letters and presentations. Unfortunately, the Cicerone Project was unable to secure continued funding, despite the focus on sustainability (a national research priority). Following this unsuccessful bid the sheep were sold, the land lease expired and the office operation was moved to the University of New England – Armidale.
2005	Cicerone held its first major symposium to showcase our achievements, and report on research results. A feeding strategy was implemented over winter where livestock were fed in confined paddocks, resting areas to grow a 'wedge of feed' to lamb the ewes onto. This strategy worked particularly well as the spring was wet and pasture grew rapidly in the rested paddocks, allowing ewes to maintain condition over lambing with no feeding.
2004	Australian Wool Innovation renewed the funding for another year, allowing the research to continue. Many field days were held, based around the farmlets and viewing them in different seasons, with topics being closely related to the results which were evolving. Large differences were now appearing between the farmlets, most notably the increase in stocking rate and performance on the A farmlet animals and the much superior, natural worm control on the C farmlet.
2003	Many field days were run in conjunction with the NSW DPI with pasture assessment, soil test interpretation and stock plan workshops. This was all working towards more precision matching of soil, pasture and livestock requirements. Both researchers and extension officers realised the difficulties graziers face, of putting all these Best Management Practices on the ground in a whole-farm context, without upsetting other aspects of farm management.
2002	As with many parts of the State, drought hit the district quite severely. The management was reactive and the stocking rate was adjusted, selling all dry stock. This kept the feeding bill to a level similar to that of 2000 which was a more 'normal' year.  More trials were conducted on the farmlets trials, leading to more field days and publications.
2001	The three farmlets were becoming more settled in their operation. However there were more farm planning meetings to 'tune' their management. Initial results showed very similar production levels, with some differences in production appearing this year. The footrot trial went into its second phase where the different strains of footrot-infected sheep were taken to Molong with different climatic conditions - this showed that the field expression was the same as in Uralla. Some trials and field days were run on the farmlets looking at the management of lambs around marking and weaning.  Cicerone also ran an exotic meat sheep trial compairing five different South African meat sheep breeds including - Afrikaner, SAM, Dohne, Damara and White Dorper. (Link to Report on Footrot Trial)
2000	The central learning farmlets were fenced and pastures sown on some paddocks. The grazing and record keeping of the three management systems started in July 2000. The first year was quite difficult, with the carrying capacity of the farmlets overestimated, leading initially to substantial winter hand feeding. A trial was established to look at different strains of footrot. This showed that some strains were displaying as benign but testing as virulent, leading to sheep being unnecessarily quarantined. This was one of Cicerone's most successful trials with many field days conducted.  They were well attended by producers and has resulted in further research into an improved DNA test for footrot being developed by the University of New England researcher, Dr. Brian Cheetham.  The footrot studies had a large positive impact on improving the detection and management of footrot across the sheep industry.
1999	Following many meetings, the Cicerone central learning farm was planned and set up to study the effects on profitability and sustainability of three different management systems (differing in levels of input and grazing management). The three farmlets were to be run with producer interaction as individual whole farms and with as much commercial reality as practicable, so that results could be seen as credible to commercial wool producers.
1998	The Cicerone Project formally started as a legal, not-for-profit, entity. In 1996, as research support for the wool industry was noticeably declining on the Northern Tablelands, and with the threatened closure of CSIRO's Chiswick research property, producers rallied together with researchers and extension workers and resolved together to ‘use it or lose it’.  A public meeting resulted in an interim committee (led by producer Mr. Hugh Sutherland, member of the WoolMark Zone Area Committee for the high rainfall zone) being appointed to determine a path forward. Over almost two years, this committee worked with initial support of the WoolMark Company to explore options and to survey 350 producers about their research needs and to develop a Business Plan. This was put to the WoolMark Company which funded the Cicerone Project initially for a 5-year period, commencing in 1998. The Cicerone Project was formed to create a learning environment in which researchers and producers could learn from each other, in the full context of a wool grower’s operational environment.