School Merino challenge grows in popularity

The popularity of the competition continues with more teams entered than ever before.

Students from New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia continue to gain hands-on sheep management experience by looking after teams of Merino wethers as part of state competitions.

Run for up to a decade in some states, the competitions for school students aim to educate them about the commercial production of Merino sheep.

The initiative provides the students with a memorable 'hands on' experience covering a broad range of sheep and wool production skills.

The SA Stud Merino Sheepbreeders Association, NSW Stud Merino Breeders' Association and Stud Merino Breeders Association of Western Australia lead the initiative with the support of Australian Wool Innovation as well as individual studs, schools, teachers and students.

Each school team looks after several wethers (from studs in their state) for six months.

The school teams then traditionally show their wethers during a competition later in the year and are judged according to their meat and wool quality.

Celebrating the 10^th year of the competition in South Australia, 70 teams of three wethers from 37 schools participated at the judging event at Adelaide Showgrounds under the much quieter COVID-19 safe conditions.

Judges noted a marked improvement in the presentation of fleeces, animals and participants since the competition began in 2011.

In NSW, more than 50 schools from across the state participated in the challenge, running teams of three Merino wethers (totalling 350 wethers) for six months.

Unfortunately, COVID this year prevented the schools from attending the judging, which was held at Dubbo TAFE NSW in August.

In WA, eight teams from seven schools took part in the AWI Future SheepBreeders Challenge, held in October at the WA College of Agriculture - Narrogin.

This year, teams looked after six wethers (from Barloo stud in Gnowangerup) but showed four at judging.