Nearly 100 rural students learned about the many aspects of the sheep industry at the three-day Holbrook Sheep and Wool Fair held last week.
They came from as far a-field as Yanco Agricultural High School, Goulburn High School, The Scots School Albury, Finley High School, and local schools St Paul’s College and Billabong High School.
“It’s a great learning experience for students who are really keen - they can get so much out of the workshops,” Holbrook Sheep and Wool Fair chairman Heather Wilton said.
Hume Rural Lands Protection Board veterinarian Bridget Pitman addressed students on Ovine Johnes disease (OJD) and mulesing alternatives.
“We are now in a high prevalence area for OJD,” she said.
Tom Harrington from Albury Landmark instructed students on judging fleeces by way of colour, strength and character. They had one hour to judge four crossbred and four merino fleeces.
“I was very encouraged in the way the students performed,” he said.
Students competed in the schools interbreed competition as well as open classes with sheep stud breeders.
President of the Riverina Group of Show Societies, Wal Blezard was the co-ordinating judge of the zone final of the meat sheep junior judging 15-25 years.
“In a tightly won competition with only single points
separating the competitors, Marilyn Terlich, a 21 year old
university nursing student from Pleasant Hills and Ryan Burden from Yanco were equal first and will represent the Riverina at the Royal Easter Show.
“We had a real mixture of experienced competitors who
represented the Riverina this year at Sydney Royal and less
experienced students working their way through the ranks,” he said.
A total of 23 exhibitors contested open classes in black and coloured merinos, Dohne, Bond, English Leicester, Border Leicester, Dorset Downs, Hampshire Downs, Poll Dorset, South Suffolk, White Suffolk and Wiltshire Horn breeds.
Leading merino judge Broni Jerkyll passed on her knowledge of wool breeds at a workshop for students judging merinos.
Sheep and Wool Fair secretary Lisa Cole said, “it was great to see such a lot of young people interested in agriculture.”
“Over 160 sheep were exhibited and we were happy with the result.
“In the past over 400 sheep have been here, but the season being what it is we are more than happy with the result,” she said.