AUSTRALIA’S most promising young judges of Merino fleece have been announced by Agricultural Shows Australia as eligible to compete in the national finals of the prestigious annual competition to be judged this year during Melbourne Royal Show next month. Judging takes place from 2pm on Tuesday October 1.

The competition brings together the best young judges and paraders aged 15 to 25 in each state to compete at the national finals. Qualification is via success in competitive regional and state competitions.

The Merino Fleece Young Judges competition is designed to determine who can most accurately rank four fleeces of a similar wool type in order from first to fourth. Chairman of Agricultural Shows Australia, Dr Rob Wilson, said the competition recognised the best new talent in livestock judging nationwide.

“It’s an extremely prestigious event, and positions at the nationals are keenly contested,” Dr Wilson said. “These young people are the future of agricultural show competitions, which are crucial to the continual improvement of Australia’s food and fibre. The national competition is a coveted opportunity to grow personally and professionally by practising skills against the cream of the crop.”

Here’s a quick snapshot of this year’s finalists:

SOUTH AUSTRALIA – Alison West (24) from Kapunda will be representing South Australia in the competition. Having worked in the wool industry for four years and obtained her classing stencil, Alison, (pictured right) is also actively involved in local country shows. She runs a young judges section for youth aged 12-25 at the Kapunda Show and manages the Merino fleece competition at the Tanunda show. Alison is eager to represent SA at the national finals in Melbourne.

VICTORIA – Tiffany Maestrale (16) from Somerville is in Year 11 and will represent her state in her first national finals. Tiffany has gained experience in wool sheds classing and skirting Corriedale wool and has participated in Young Judges competitions around Victoria. She credits these opportunities with building her confidence in public speaking. Tiffany looks forward to her first national competition in Merino fleece judging.

NEW SOUTH WALES – Zara Kesby (15) from Bingara will represent New South Wales in the competition. Zara placed second in beef cattle and meat sheep and third in Merino fleece at a qualifying event in Bingara. She then went on to win the State Fleece Young Judges at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Zara is excited to represent NSW in the National Finals at the Melbourne Royal Show.

QUEENSLAND – Grace Hillier (23) from St George has been involved in her family sheep stud since childhood and has travelled to shows around Queensland. Competing in Junior Judges and drawing on what she has learned from various judges, Grace used her experience to aid her decision-making in fleece and sheep competitions. She is excited about the opportunity to represent Queensland and learn from fellow finalists at the national level in Melbourne.

TASMANIA – Cally Spangler (23) from Launceston, began her career in the wool industry four years ago as a wool handler. She completed her Certificate IV in wool classing in 2023 and was encouraged to participate in the Young Judges fleece judging competition. After winning this competition, Cally will now represent Tasmania in the national finals. Currently working as a wool classer, Cally uses each workday as practice for the competition.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA – Brendan Lamont (23) from Kojonup will represent Western Australia. Growing up on a family farm with a fine wool Merino flock, Brendan brings first-hand experience to the competition. He is keen to showcase his judging skills at the national level in Melbourne.

The Merino Fleece Young Judges competition is sponsored by Australian Wool Innovation.

Overall, there are nine categories for judging and parading each year under the Agricultural Shows Australia national competition program: beef cattle, dairy cattle, alpaca, poultry, Merino sheep, meat breed sheep, and Merino fleece judging, as well as parading competitions in beef and dairy cattle.