Hillgrove's Tarrangower Merino stud wins second Zegna trophy in three years

David and Angie Waters, Tarrangower, Hillgrove, near Armidale, took first place, continuing a series of six trophies they have won over a number of years in the prestigious event.

Mr Waters said they never took their previous wins for granted and it was an honour to take the award again this year.

Their entry had a fibre diameter of 14.9 micron and scored 92.10 points out of a possible 100.

The fleece received maximum points for strength, scored 19 of 20 for trueness of type, and 7.6 of 8 for excellence.

Mr Waters said the competition was a great driver to keep improving.

"We're our own benchmark," he said.

"To win it again - it keeps us motivated to continue the way we're going."

They have a closed flock and run about 2500 ewes on 567 hectares with 850 millimetres average annual rainfall.

Mr Waters said they targeted the Italian and European markets and focused on ultrafine wool types.

The family operation recently carried out its 70^th shearing in the shed Mr Waters' grandfather built.

Shearing also had three generations on the ground, which included Mr Waters' two daughters and his father, Noel.

The family had experienced plenty of fluctuations in the market over the years and he said while there was still some pessimism in the industry about where wool was heading, they were dedicated to keeping their wool quality and would try to get even finer.

Mr Waters noted the awards night this year was open to all competitors rather than just the finalists, which was well received by the producers.

Last year, when the awards were held at the Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association conference in Launceston, Tas, they placed fourth with 90.2.

However, in 2022 the Waters won the Zegna trophy after winning the prestigious trophy in 2014. They also enjoyed three consecutive wins, taking home the trophy in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

The second and third-place winners were Simon and Ann Louise Cameron, Kingston, Nile, Tasmania and Brett, Sue, Cameron, and Ellie Picker, Hillcreston Heights, Bigga, respectively.

Mr Cameron is a sixth-generation farmer and has won many elite wool production awards. Last year, he won his first Zegna trophy. They came second in 2022 to the Waters' entry.

Aaron and Rebecca Rowbottom, of Myndarra, Orford, Vic, won the Vellus Aureum Trophy. Last year, they were placed second in the prestigious category.

Danny and Megan Picker, Hillcreston Park, Bigga, were placed second.

David and Susan Rowbottom, Rowensville Merinos, St Helens, Vic were placed third.

Last year, they exhibited a world record 9.4-micron fleece and won the annual Ermenegildo Zegna Vellus Aureum Trophy for the wool of 13.9 microns or finer. It's the second time the Rowbottoms have held the lowest micron world record. In 2017, they exhibited a fleece in the Vellus Aureum that had a 9.9m.

The Ermenegildo Zegna Group began sourcing Australian wool in the early 1900s.

Since 1963, the group has supported trophies and awards recognising the quality, performance, and innovation Australian wool is known for worldwide and across the industry.

The Ermenegildo Zegna Group was the first to establish its inaugural Ermenegildo Zegna Perpetual Trophy to award and encourage woolgrowers to improve the quality of superfine merino.

This competition is the oldest in the world of wool. A second trophy, the Vellus Aureum Trophy, followed almost 40 years later in 2002 to celebrate the advances made by Australian woolgrowers for absolute excellence by benchmarking the finest woollen fleeces in Australia every year.

This year, the group continued its practice of honouring Australia's best woolgrowers by awarding the Superfine Wool Trophy and the Vellus Aureum Trophy during an exclusive celebration hosted in Sydney by Paolo Zegna, the third-generation of the Zegna family and member of the board of directors of Ermenegildo Zegna Group.

Dr Zegna said both competitions continue to encourage and reward wool growers for their commitment to quality and to guarantee the best industry practices for wool processing. The winning wool bales and fleeces are judged according to a strict set of criteria, including fineness, style, strength, colour and evenness.

"Every day since 1910, the road our founder paved has guided our responsible development, having steadily evolved from a superior wool fabric producer to a global luxury group," he said.

"Today's ambition and responsibility remain the same: continue to pursue excellence and invest in the best fabrics and raw materials to create beautiful products of the finest quality, applying a responsible approach to sourcing."