Educating wool’s next generation

SA Sheep Expo 

More than 100 high school and tertiary students and young professionals from across Australia attended the SA Sheep Expo in April at the Adelaide Showground, during which the young sheep enthusiasts developed a better understanding of the sheep and wool industry and the opportunities it offers them. 

AWI is a Foundation Sponsor of the three-day SA Sheep Expo and has supported the educational initiative in each of the eight years it has been held since the event was established in 2016. 

The interactive program for students included hands-on sessions, demonstrations and presentations from leading industry experts. Each year a focus is given to a key topic of the industry; this year the topic was ‘focusing on the ewe’, with sessions covering subjects including lamb production, biosecurity, markets, health and nutrition, genetic evaluation, and tips and tools to support and manage on-farm and off-farm decisions. 

AWI National Extension Manager, Emily King, and AWI Industry Relations Officer for South Australia, Shannon Donoghue, attended the SA Sheep Expo and provided sessions on managing ewes in dry times, feed budgeting, and pregnancy scanning. Josh Sneath of SCAA SWTI provided sessions on shearing and wool handling. 

There was also information on career pathways in the sheep industry, scholarship and work experience incentives, and some great prizes and bursaries on offer. 

All participants were allocated a stud sheep supplied by a breed society/association to be accountable for over the duration of the Expo. This included mucking out, feeding, and general care. 

Participants were also able to compete in age groups in sheep handling and judging competitions, with scholarships and other prizes up for grabs. 

The Expo not only increased the students’ practical knowledge of how to run successful sheep enterprises, but also provided them with exposure to the wide range of career pathways within the sheep and wool industry. The event enabled students to engage at a grassroots level within the industry and provided them with the opportunity to build industry networks for their future in the industry. 

More information: www.sasheepexpo.com.au  

Peter Westblade Scholarship training weekends 

Now in its thirteenth year, the Peter Westblade Scholarship (PWS)  delivers practical, hands-on training and mentoring to young people aged 18 to 30 pursuing a career in the sheep and wool industry. 

Established in 2011, the annual scholarship honours the late Peter Westblade, a Lockhart sheep producer who was passionate about breeding profitable sheep and was a strong supporter of young people interested in agriculture. 

A key element of the PWS program is the running of annual training weekends, established to encourage, educate and mentor young enthusiasts with practical training for the sheep and wool industry. As one of the sponsors of the training weekends, AWI is supporting the next generation of the Australian sheep and wool industry.  

For the past six years, training has been held at Wyvern Station, which is a 50,000-hectare property owned by T.A. Field Estates at Carrathool in the Riverina of NSW. T.A. Field Estates has been a long-term supporter of the PWS and this year again generously hosted the event which was attended by 30 keen young professionals at the end of May. 

For the first time, an additional training weekend was held this year, doubling the total number of young sheep enthusiasts able to attend training weekends in 2025 to 60. Applications were received from across Australia.  

Local producer group Monaro Farming Systems joined the PWS to help deliver the extra training weekend in its region after hearing about the positive impacts of previous years’ events. The event was held in March at Jimenbuen Pastoral Company, an agricultural enterprise south of Dalgety on the Monaro of NSW. Jimenbuen is run by the Glasson family and operates on 4,250 hectares, with a primary focus on breeding high quality, fine wool Merinos.  

“One of the goals of the PWS is to help as many young people as we can and this weekend certainly did just that. I have come away inspired by not only the industry experts that presented, but also from the attendees' enthusiasm and curiosity,” said PWS Chair Joe Walden. 

The two weekends consisted of hands-on workshops and mentoring sessions to improve the participants’ skill sets and build their industry networks. While the individual attendees gained a lot from the weekend, the benefits will also flow through to their employers and the wider industry. 

A host of woolgrowers and other industry specialists were guest speakers at the two events to pass on their invaluable knowledge to the next generation. Topics covered included sheep selection, stockmanship, pasture assessment, animal health, working dogs, business skills, the wool pipeline, and professional development. 

More information: www.pwscholarship.com.au  

Southern Tablelands Flock Ewe Championship 

To boost their knowledge about sheep selection, agricultural students and teachers from three schools attended the AWI-sponsored Southern Tablelands Flock Ewe Championship held in the Crookwell region of NSW in March. In its tenth year, the Championship brought together eight flocks from Taralga, Crookwell, Boorowa and Gunning and placed them against each other.  

In addition to viewing the Championship, the 40 visiting students – from Boorowa Central School, Crookwell High School, and St Stanislaus' College (Bathurst) – undertook hands-on sessions to assess quality in Merino ewes based on a range of breeding characteristics.  

The students also participated in a junior judging competition in which they were asked to judge the sheep and speak to the judging panel regarding the reasons for their selections. The students learnt a great deal from the industry representatives in attendance and enjoyed networking with local woolgrowers.

This article appeared in the Winter 2025 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine that was published in June 2025. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.