Meet the Katherine Livestock Industries team!

Region: Greater Darwin, Katherine Region, Barkly Region | Topic: Livestock
Nov 2021

The Katherine Livestock Industries team has recently undergone a period of staff movements and additions. Meet the women behind the livestock research and extension activities happening in the Katherine region.

Elle Fordyce

Ellen Fordyce

Senior Livestock Extension Officer Elle Fordyce

Elle is originally from Mackay Queensland and has a diverse background in the beef industry. She’s been in the team since November 2019 and is currently busy leading the extension of the latest industry research, organising field days, facilitating exercises to grow producer capacity, and building relationships with the industry. Elle has recently set up a ‘Providing supplementation via water’ producer demonstration site at Newcastle Waters and Stapleton to demonstrate and document the nutritional, behavioural and production impacts of the alternate method of supplementation.

Melissa Wooderson

Mel Wooderson

Beef Research Officer Melissa Wooderson

Melissa has recently shifted camp to Victoria River Research Station, where she has been appointed to the newly developed scientific role responsible for leading on-site research activities. Based at the Katherine Research Station for the past three years, Melissa has assisted with a range of research projects. In 2020, Melissa established an ongoing pain relief trial throughout the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia, investigating and quantifying the production benefits of using commercial analgesics Meloxicam and Trisolfen during castration and dehorning. Melissa is originally from Beaudesert Queensland but worked in the biosecurity field in Charters Towers prior to starting with the Northern Territory Government.

Gretal Bailey-Preston

Gretel Bailey-Preston

Livestock Research Officer Gretel Bailey-Preston

Gretel moved up to the Territory in 2014 and spent her time contracting mustering and studying prior to starting work at the Katherine Research Station in 2018. During her time with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Gretel has worked in both the Tennant Creek and Katherine offices, primarily managing the Select Brahman and Composite herds. She is often roaming between Kidman Springs, Douglas Daly and Beatrice Hill processing cattle and collecting data for the department’s breeding program. Gretel hails from Coolah, New South Wales.

Melissa Bethel

Melissa Bethel

Pastoral Research Officer Melissa Bethel

Melissa was born and bred in Georgetown, Queensland. She has a wide range of industry experience in contract mustering and station work, and rangelands grazing management. She commenced work with the team in August 2020 and assists with research projects and extension activities. Mel is currently on maternity leave after she and her partner welcomed their first child into the world in 2021, but she will be back on the scene in 2022!

Georgia Glasson

Georgia Glasson

Pastoral Technical Officer Georgia Glasson

Georgia is our latest recruit! Originally from Yaraka, Western Queensland, Georgia has spent much of her adult life working on cattle stations throughout the Territory and Queensland. She came on board short-term with the team in September 2020 to deliver the on-ground data collection work for the CalfWatch project. She returned to the team in October 2021 to assist in data collection, collation and analysis of a range of research projects.

Back to NT Rural Review - November 2021