Walcha Rotary provide wool learning days

Andrew Corlette from the club said the camp's aim was to provide insight for students interested in exploring the modern sheep industry, wool and meat production.

"We seek to encourage students to consider a career in the sheep industry as a measure to ensure talented and motivated young people come into this important regional industry," he said.

"We have been running this program every second year since 2010 except for 2022 when COVID-19 crashed our plans.

"This time we had 32 students, 21 girls and 11 boys, with accommodation at the Walcha Showgrounds and trips out to leading-edge Merino studs for packed days of hands-on workshops conducted by expert presenters in a wide range of disciplines in the industry.

"All presenters donate their time for the project. Funding comes from industry sponsors and Rotary clubs who endorse the participating students," he said.

Mr Corlette said the students declared the camp a resounding success.

"From high-tech to sheep handling to working dogs to the food and everything in between, RYAG participants loved it all.

Mr Corlette said day one was full to the brim with a visit to the McLaren family's Nerstane Merino Stud, where the students observed veterinarians performing embryo collection and transfers.

Next came hands-on workshops including low-stress stock handling, sheep classing, selection of rams and a sheep counting competition. In the evening stock transport tuition presented the opportunity to climb aboard a four-decker B-double and be introduced to the ins and outs of livestock transport.

The evening ended with discovering how it is possible to run a farm from your phone.

The next morning the Blomfield family's property, Karori was transformed into a learning centre. The packed day involved pasture assessments, sheep genetics, tech tools for farm management, feed base monitoring, breeding strategies, prime lamb production, microscope activities for parasite monitoring and ultrasound carcass scanning.

In the evening there was a talk explaining all that happens to wool from greasy bales at the farm gate to innovative clothing, high fashion and even footwear. To round off the night students were guided through a massive selection of garments in preparation for their wool fashion parade the following evening.

The last full day was again crammed with activities, at the showground sheep facility, the butcher shop and dog training pens just out of town. The students plunged into live sheep appraisals, watched a shearing demonstration, had a go at throwing fleeces, skirting them, and classing as well as seeing how on-farm fibre testing is performed.

At the butcher shop, cutting up lambs in numerous ways was demonstrated and some tried their hand at sausage making - not as easy as the experts make it look. In the afternoon there was a talk on the many facets of wool buying and career opportunities in that field. Finally, at James Sweeney's yards, students saw how working dogs are trained and had a go with sheep and a dog to turn theory into practice.

Mr Corlette said the camp finale was a gala dinner at the Walcha Golf Club attended by parents, sponsors, workshop presenters, ag teachers and Rotarians.

"Students received a certificate and then delighted the adults with their fashion parade of woollen garments.

Mr Corlette said Walcha's Rotarians wished to express their sincere gratitude to sponsors and the amazing workshop presenters without whom these great young adults would not have the opportunity to preview the possibilities of a career in the modern sheep industry.