By Aaron Cordy
GREATER Shepparton Secondary College (GSSC) is among 11 Victorian schools participating in the Merino Wether Challenge for the first time. An initiative of the Australian Sheep Breeders Association and Australian Wool Innovation, a hands-on program to expose school students to the many opportunities and careers in the sheep and wool industry.
GSSC was provided with six sheep in March for students to care for. The challenge is to produce the meatiest animals with the best quality wool by applying best practice animal husbandry and nutrition.
Wednesday, August 27 two teams of five GSSC Year 10 students joined teams from the other participating Victorian schools in a judging competition at Clunes. Where they won 2nd best carcass, 1st best presented and named overall championship winner.
The 66 sheep on show were tested for carcass value and the length and quality of wool. Students will take part in the tests, including wool handling and shearing.
Awards will be given for:
Highest value fleece
Highest value carcass
Best presentation
Most engaged school
A grand champion for the highest combined score.
“The experience was pretty good. It was good to learn a new experience from coming down from Queensland on the cane fields. It’s a different side of agriculture. I grew up on cane farms just harvesting that, but there’s so many different sides to it. There is a future in this, I’ve enjoyed it. They’re friendly sheep, very social sheep,” said year 10 student, Hunter Snelling.
GSSC agriculture and horticulture teacher, Charlotte Drinnan was full of praise for the students not just taking the classes but the whole school, with the care of the sheep
“We’ve engaged students not just across the two agriculture classes that are directly involved, but the younger and old agriculture classes, as well as the general school population that have been immersed in the presence of the sheep at school,” said Ms Drinnan.
“A lot of questions have been asked, and a lot of enthusiasm. It’s been a really wholesome experience.”
