SOUTH Australia’s innovative schools wether competition at the recent Royal Adelaide Show is putting Merinos back onto farms, organiser Francis Andrews said.

Mr Andrews said he would like every state with Merinos to run a similar competition. The competition was initiated by the Agriculture Teachers Association of SA, Merino SA and the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of South Australia.

Last year the competition received feedback that students urged their parents on cropping farms to invest in some Merino wethers or ewes, Mr Andrews said.

“It’s putting Merinos back on farms – it was set up to increase the Merino population in Australia through educating these children.”

The AASMB also runs a schools wether challenge at the Rabobank National Merino Sheep Show and Ram Sale at Dubbo. Some Victorian breeders were keen to organise a similar competition at the Royal Melbourne Show, Mr Andrews said.

“They’ve got to get their agricultural schools on side.”

Cleve Area School wins Mutooroo meat-wool prize

The Adelaide competition attracted 47 entries this year, with schools able to enter one or two exhibits of three wethers. The sheep in the competition are assessed live for their conformation, wool and skin quality, as well as weight gain, presentation and evenness, and slaughtered at Thomas Foods International’s Murray Bridge plant for carcase evaluation. The students are also judged on their knowledge and preparation skills.

The 2016 winner of the overall Mutooroo Pastoral Company meat and fleece value prize was a Cleve Area’s School’s Sims Farm entry with a combined wool and carcase value of $554.55 for the three wethers. The three wethers also placed third in the AWN Three Most Valuable Fleeces class with a value of $176.89.

Cleve Area School agriculture co-ordinator Aleks Suljagic said it was Sims Farm’s first major win in the Adelaide competition, after minor placings in previous years. The school runs a flock of 120 commercial Glenville blood Merino ewes with a crossbred flock and cropping on the 400 hectare farm.

The school entered two teams of three wethers this year, prepared by Year 10 students Karma Resmini, Samantha Green, Sophie Briese, Nellie Barbala, Ryan Hannemann, Caleb Evans and Billy Flavell. The school’s second team had a combined wool and meat value of $544.52, including a high carcase value of $387.07, that gave it second place in the Spence Dix and Co meat class.

Mr Suljagic said school’s wethers could lose about 5kg of liveweight during the 550kg trip to Adelaide, so getting growth and eliminating stress to ensure they weighed more than 100kg was a key factor in their win. Flock selection was based on wool and carcase traits to breed a plain-bodied sheep without sacrificing wool cut or quality, he said.

“Our aim is for an easy-case sheep – a real multi-purpose Merino is what we are after.”

Mr Suljagic said Sims Farm is self-funding – its income depends on meat, wool and grain production.

“We’ve got a commercial imperative, first and foremost here.”

Australian Wool Innovation’s National Merino Challenge and the Lifetime Ewe Management course had helped the students understand the selection, genetics and management that was fundamental to a wether competition and to sheep management generally, Mr Suljagic said.

SA Schools Wether Competition results

Spence Dix & Co Prize for Best Pen Of Three Wethers

• First prize $100; second $50; third $25

1. Cleve Area School – Sims Farm
2. Karcultaby Area School
3. Murray Bridge High School
4. Burra Community School
5. Westminster School
6. Oakbank Area School / HCCS
7. Kingston Community School
8. Kapunda High School

Australian Wool Network Prize for Three Most Valuable Fleeces

• First prize $100; Second $50; Third $25

1. Murray Bridge High School
2. Clare High School
3. Cleve Area School – Sims Farm
4. Kapunda High School
5. Karoonda Area School
6. Faith Lutheran College
7. Booleroo Centre District School
8. Cummins Area School

Spence Dix & Co Prize for Best Meat Value

• First prize $100; Second $50; Third $25

1. Urrbrae Agricultural High School
2. Cleve Area School – Sims Farm
3. Karoonda Area School
4. Jamestown Community School
5. Lucindale Area School
6. Cleve Area School – Sims Farm
7. Karoonda Area School
8. Clare High School

Thomas Foods International Prize for Three Most Valued Skins

• First prize $100; Second $50; Third $25

1. Westminster School
2. Karoonda Area School
3. Orroroo Area School
4. Orroroo Area School
5. Faith Lutheran College
6. Clare High School
7. Willunga High School
8. Karcultaby Area School

Urrbrae Agricultural High School Prize for Highest Weight Gain By A Group

First prize $100; Second $50; Third $25

1. Faith Lutheran College
2. Karoonda Area School
3. Murray Bridge High School
4. Westminster School
5. Kingston Community School
6. Keith Area School
7. Trinity College
8. Murray Bridge High School

Mutooroo Pastoral Company Prize for Overall Meat And Fleece Winner

• $200 and Trophy (Value $100) sponsored by Mutooroo Pastoral Company

Cleve Area School – Sims Farm

Atasa Prize for Most Professional School Show Team

• First prize $100, Perpetual Trophy (value $130); Second $50; Third $25

1. Karcultaby Area School
2. Burra Community School
3. Cleve Area School – Sims Farm

Elders Trainee Program Prize for The Show Team Development Award

• Voucher $200

Lucindale Area School

Click here to see the results of all wether competition entries.

Source: Merino SA, Australian Wool Innovation.