Paul and Bateson Pittman of Glenburnie Merino and Poll Merino Stud with their grand champion fleece in the 2024 National Fleece Competition. Image – Nutrien.

WALCHA’S Glenburnie Merino and Poll Stud has taken out the grand champion title at the 2024 Australian Fleece Competition in Bendigo on its second attempt.

Stud principal Paul Pittman said the 19 micron two year-old stud ewe fleece scored 96.2 points out of 100. It was valued at $91.92.

“She’s just one of those ewes that is a bit out of the box for fleece weight and quality,” Mr Pittman said.

“She has really high quality wool with good staple length and great coverage underneath.”

The ewe’s 9kg skirted fleece had a staple length of 111mm, a tensile strength of 50 Newtons/kilotex and comfort factor of 99.7. It will be on display at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show this weekend.

Mr Pittman said that the win was a huge honour, after 15 years of attending the sheep & wool show in Bendigo.

“You’re up against the best studs and flocks from all over the country, so we are humbled to come out on top.

“My father, Wilson Pittman has been my number one mentor, and after five generations of breeding, it’s a great feeling,” Mr Pitman said.

The Glenburnie Partnership runs about 5000 sheep near Walcha in the New England region. The flock is based on Merryville, Airlie and Laraben Poll blood. The fleece competition winner was sired by a Laraben Poll ram.

Mr Pittman and his son Bateson are also showing sheep at Bendigo for the first time this year after success at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. The stud showed the grand champion superfine Poll Merino ewe, reserve grand champion ultrafine poll ewe and champion ultrafine August shorn poll ewe, reserve champion August shorn superfine Merino ewe & reserve junior champion August shorn Merino ewe, and the  champion superfine August poll Merino ewe and junior champion August shorn poll Merino ewe. Bateson won the NSW junior Merino judging competition at the Sydney show this year.

The Glenburnie Merino and Poll Stud success at Bendigo gives Walcha in NSW, a second consecutive win for the region. The Shalimar Park Merino Stud claimed last year’s grand champion trophy.

The Australian Fleece Competition, in its 23rd year, is the largest fully measured fleece competition in the world, attracting 385 entries from 131 exhibiters.

The Reserve Grand Champion Fleece was awarded to the Hayes family, “Tarcombe”, Ruffy, Victoria, with an outstanding commercial fleece, scoring 95.5 points, and measuring 20.3 micron in the Fine Medium Merino Commercial Ewe or Wether Class. The Hayes family’s success continued, by winning the Champion Commercial Fleece, as well as the Most Successful Commercial Exhibitor.

Judges for this year’s competition were G. Schneider Australia wool manager and an inaugural competition judge Mark Symes, Wool Manager, G Schneider Australia Pty Ltd, and John McGrath from Nutrien Ararat, Victoria.

Mr Symes said he was again impressed by the time, effort and dedication that exhibitors put in to preparing their fleeces. The collaboration between scientific measurement, coupled with a wealth of experience has made the wool industry more interesting, he said.

“While science is the engine that drives us today, experience is still holding the steering wheel, “ Mr Symes said.

Mr McGrath is in his second year as the competition’s wool broker judge and said that the depth of quality was the most impressive component this year.

“The entries in the stud sections were again of a very high standard, and the commercial exhibits were among the best I’ve seen in the competition’s long history,” he said.

Nutrien Ag Solutions wool account manager and AFC convenor Candice Cordy said this year’s competition reinforced the strength and confidence that exhibitors have in the wool industry.

“While the high standard of this year’s entries is a real talking point, from a convener’s perspective, I was buoyed by the increase of entries, up from 340 last year, and the increase of exhibitors.

“This reflects not only the strength of the fleece competition, but an overall interest in the industry,” she said.

Ms Cordy said that the competition ran smoothly this year with the assistance of Nutrien’s Nicole Davies and Tim Steere from the Australian Wool Testing Authority.

The competition is supported by 26 sponsors and offers $18,000 in prizes, with the grand champion fleece exhibitor collecting a $2200 travel voucher sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions and Elanco Animal Health.

J.D. & R.E. Humbert Pty Ltd, Kedleston Park, Victoria, continued their success with consecutive wins in the performance class, by winning again with an 18.4 micron fleece. This class caters for exhibitors shearing on a 6-8 month cycles commercially.

All competition fleeces were weighed and sampled for objective measurement (including length and strength), under standard procedures of the AWTA.

The competition is a joint effort by the Australian Sheep Breeders Association, the AWTA and Nutrien Ag Solutions, in conjunction with the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, held in Bendigo from Friday 19 July to Sunday 21 July.

The majority of fleeces on show are donated by exhibitors, with all proceeds going to a different nominated charity each year. The competition has raised more than $210,000 dollars since its inception.

This year’s nominated charity is Strength To Give, the donor-facing brand of the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry. The registry is Australia’s only source of stem cell and bone marrow donors, and for over 30 years, it has given stem cell transplant patients a second chance at life.

See the full fleece competition results table here.