Person
Vercoe, John Edward (1936 - 2005)
AM FTSE FAIS FASAP
- Born
- 28 June 1936
Mildura, Victoria, Australia - Died
- 28 September 2005
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia - Occupation
- Agricultural scientist
Summary
John Vercoe was a key player in international livestock research who especially made many important contributions to Australia's cattle industry. He spent most of his professional career with the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) at various divisions in Queensland. He joined the Animal Genetics Division in Rockhampton in 1964 and eventually made his way up to Assistant Chief of Tropical Animal Production (1982-1993) then Director of the Tropical Beef Centre (1993-1996). Vercoe and his CSIRO colleagues helped establish Zebu and Zebu-cross cattle in Queensland which lead to a boom in its cattle industry. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the North Australia Beef Research Council which is now an advisory wing of the Cattle Council and Meat and Livestock Australia. John Vercoe was a member of many prominent international advisory and research organizations including the Food and Agriculture Organisation (United Nations), the International Livestock Centre for Africa and Ethiopia, the International Livestock Research Centre on Animal Diseases in Kenya and the International Livestock Research Institute. In 1997 his outstanding contributions to the world cattle and livestock industry were honoured when he was appointed a Member in the Order of Australia (AM).
Details
Chronology
- 1957
- Education - Bachelor of Agricultural Science (BAgrSc), University of Melbourne
- 1961
- Education - Master of Agricultural Science (MAgrSc), University of Melbourne
- c. 1963
- Career position - Postdoctoral studies in Scotland
- 1964 -
- Career position - Research Scientist in the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Division of Animal Genetics in Rockhampton, Queensland
- 1964
- Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Melbourne
- 1973 - c. 1974
- Career position - Seconded to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation in Vienna, Austria
- 1974 - 1976
- Career position - Officer-in-Charge of the Tropical Cattle Research Centre of CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation)
- 1978 - c. 1979
- Career position - Seconded to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation in Vienna, Austria
- 1982
- Career position - Consultant to the Western Sudan Agricultural Research Project (World Bank/USAID)
- 1982 - c. 1993
- Career position - Assistant Chief of the CSIRO Division of Tropical Animal Science
- 1987 - 2005
- Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE)
- 1988 - 2005
- Award - Fellow, Australian Institute of Applied Sciences (FAIS)
- 1990
- Career position - Vice-President, Australasian Association of Animal Breeding and Genetics
- 1991
- Career position - President, Australasian Association of Animal Breeding and Genetics
- 1993 - 1996
- Career position - Director of the Tropical Beef Centre
- 1994 - 2005
- Award - Fellow, Australian Society of Animal Production (FASAP)
- 1997
- Award - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) - For service to the cattle industry through research into genetic factors affecting the efficiency of beef production in tropical environments
- 1999 -
- Career position - Member of the International Livestock Research Institute
- 2000 - 2005
- Career position - Chair of the International Livestock Research Institute
- 2001
- Award - Centenary Medal - for service to primary industries and science and technology
Related entries
Published resources
Newspaper Articles
- Johnson, Warren and Lumb, Mick, 'Key figure in international livestock research', The Age (2006), 10. Details
Resources
- 'Vercoe, John Edward (1936-2005)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1473344. Details
See also
- Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_v.html. Details
Rosanne Walker and Annette Alafaci
Created: 25 May 2001, Last modified: 22 October 2024
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