OPPORTUNITIES keep increasing at the annual Rabobank National Merino Sheep Show and Sale and this year is no exception, particularly with a bountifully wet winter.
It’s not just a show for stud rams and ewes, but a one-stop venue for fleeces, wethers, flock ewes, stud displays, a rural photographic competition and the annual farm expo.
A draw card in itself, the expo features commercial enterprises marketing equipment applicable to the Merino industry and opens alongside the Dubbo showground’s Ewan McInnes Pavilion and Expo Centre from Tuesday to Thursday, August 23 to 25.
Matthew Coddington, Roseville Park stud, Dubbo, is chairman of the 42nd annual event and 56th annual ram sale.
He said the Shepherd Centre was this year’s chosen charity, and money raised would be donated to the organisation that assists children who are deaf or hearing impaired to improve their quality of life.
One way of supporting the fundraiser is to enter a fleece in the 2016 Australian Wool Network open fleece show, where last year a total of 154 fleeces were exhibited.
The success of previous wether challenges has encouraged students studying agriculture at high schools to enter a massive 50 teams in the 2016 National Merino School Wether Challenge.
The challenge enhances education for students, helping them learn about sheep handling and management, as does the annual sheep and wool judging competition, which has attracted hundreds of young people, including students this year.
“We are expecting upwards of 200 young people to contest this year in two age sections up to 25 years of age,” Mr Coddington said.
“This year the Agricultural Societies Council will conduct a 90-minute workshop on junior judging prior to individual sections.”
This will also include pointers to assist the younger entrants to gain confidence when speaking publicly.
Important to stud breeders is the success of their clients’ commercial flocks and no better way for flock breeders to show off their sheep is the fourth annual commercial flock ewe competition open for grassfed flock ewes.
