Australian Sheep Breeders Association Inc.
Onwards and upwards is the theme for the 2024 Australian Sheep and Wool Show, which captures the camaraderie and community spirit of an agricultural sector that is constantly adapting to meet changing market conditions.
The 145th annual event will be held at the Prince of Wales Showgrounds in Bendigo from July 19-21, bringing together stakeholders from all aspects of the sheepmeat and wool industries.
Australian Sheep Breeders’ Association CEO Margot Falconer said exhibitors and patrons could look forward to a combination of celebration, innovation and evolution throughout the show, which is billed as the largest of its type in the world.
“We are very excited,” Ms Falconer said. “Early sheep entries are looking wonderful, our trade sites sold out in mid-May, everyone is feeling great about the show and wants to be involved.
“Our event celebrates the very best in sheep genetics, the most up-to-date farming practices and the technologies that will take us ‘onwards and upwards’ into the future.
“We showcase everything from the nation’s prized rams and fleeces to mouth-watering lamb meals and gorgeous woollen goods, as well as highlighting the educational and career pathways available to tomorrow’s industry leaders.
“It’s all about the opportunities that will help us meet the challenges ahead.”
For the first time, the ASWS will include the rare Valais Blacknose sheep. This unique breed originated in Switzerland and the first embryos and semen only arrived in Australia in 2020.
They are distinct for their long, coarse, white wool, black face and ears, black markings on their knees, hocks and ankles and knees, and their spiral horns.
The show’s feature breed for 2024 is the dual-purpose Dohne Merino, bred in South Africa from 1938 and brought to Australia in 1998.
They will be among up to 3000 sheep from five states in the livestock sheds, with judging across XX breeds in a display of Australia’s top wool and prime lamb bloodlines. This culminates in Merino ram and Supreme Dorper sales on the Sunday.
The Australian Fleece Competition attracts more than 400 entries in classes involving Merinos, Dohnes, Polwarths, Corriedales and other breeds.
Many fleeces are then auctioned for charity, with bone marrow donation organisation Strength to Give selected as this year’s beneficiary. Over $220,000 has been raised in the past 22 years.
Competition will be fierce in the shearing sheds, where almost $18,000 is up for grabs in the 30th Northern Shears Shearing and Wool Handling Competition. Also on the line in the Sports Shear Victoria state finals is the right to represent Victoria at the national titles in October.
Another crowd favourite can be found on the main arena, where handlers and their canine partners will contest the Central Victorian Yard Dog Championships.
Nearby, in the Country Living and Lifestyle marquee, the Bendigo Festival of Lamb offers culinary demonstrations and exhibits from local producers as well as various homeware stalls.
The Careers and Technology Hub features displays of ag-ed courses and technological advancements, alongside presentations from high-profile speakers such as new MLA managing director Michael Crowley and Sheep Producers Australia CEO Bonnie Skinner.
Australia’s largest fibre market includes more than 300 retail sites, while the Arts and Craft Pavilion displays the talents of passionate creatives in 70 Woolcraft categories. The theme for this year’s competition is Fire and Ice, promising some spectacular exhibits.
Fashionistas can get their fix at the twice daily parades of homegrown woollen garments in the Noble Pavilion: Friday, 11am and 3pm; Saturday, 11am and 2pm; and Sunday, 11am and 2pm.
And there will be plenty of networking opportunities at social events like the Stud Masters’ Muster (where the 2024 Young Champion Award will be presented), the Sponsors and Breeders Cocktail Party, and the sold-out Women of Wool luncheon.
Ms Falconer said staging a show of this magnitude was not without its challenges, and she paid tribute to all the stallholders, sponsors and volunteers that helped it run smoothly, as well as the stars of the show – the stud owners and their sheep.
“It costs several thousand dollars to prepare, transport, house and feed sheep in the lead up to and during the ASWS,” she said. “We recognise the efforts our exhibitors go to in continuing to make it such a success.”
She said West Australian farmers faced additional hurdles this year after the WA Government imposed prohibitive new quarantine restrictions on the movement of livestock in/out of the state – a move that could threaten the ASWS’s status as a national event.
“It’s only truly a national show when the WA breeders are able to come,” Ms Falconer said. “We have written a letter in support to ask the WA Agriculture Department to relax the rules but we are not sure how that situation will end up.”
Tickets to the ASWS are available at www.sheepshow.com, starting at $25 for adults and $17 for students and concessions, with discounts for three-day passes. Children under 15 are free.
