(From left) Deniliquin High School students Alex Harvey, Andrew Croker and Toby Grimwood with their wethers.
Six months of hard work has resulted in success for Deniliquin High School’s NSW School Wether Challenge team.
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Consisting of Year 11 agriculture students, the team returned from Dubbo last week with a swag of awards.
They not only claimed a number of podium finishes in their zone competition, but also claimed the award for the champion carcass across all competitors.
The challenge was hosted in Dubbo as part of the National Ram Show & Sale, with competition spread out over August 27 and 28.
Deni High School teacher Emily Pearn said there were more than 60 schools involved, with six months of preparation going into the competition.
“All wethers come from Egelabra Merino Stud, and given to the schools to care for,” she said.
“Over the course of the nearly six-month period, students work out a food ration for the wethers, monitor the animals’ weights and care for their health and welfare.
“There are three sections across which the sheep are judged.
“The first was the re-stocker value, meaning, the value of the sheep to be kept and run commercially for the next couple of years - essentially its value before being slaughtered.
“Fleeces are then shorn from the sheep, tested for its quality and micron and given a grade on the characteristics of what makes good wool.
“After the sheep has been given its grade for the fleece, and it’s wool, the sheep is then weighed, has its fat scored and given a carcass value, meaning what it is worth as meat.
“Combining all three categories and their scores is where the overall winners were determined from.”
In its zone competition, Deni High placed first for carcass value, third for restocker value and first for combined value.
Across all competitors, Deni High had the champion carcass and was second in the combined value across all teams.
“The Deniliquin High School students in attendance should be proud of themselves for their efforts on the day,” Mrs Pearn said.
“Judges made mention of the level of professionalism of the Deniliquin High School students throughout the day.
“This year's awards and recognition are only a continuation of the standard of the agriculture class at Deni High.
“This has been the fifth year in a row that Deni High has placed in the top four of the overall combined value of their sheep.”
Workshops were also available to the agriculture students during the Dubbo event.
These workshops included key areas of agriculture such as meat processing, training working dogs, wool, careers in the industry as well as competing in the young farmers challenge.
Tom McKern, Dakota McKenzie, Will Hindriks, Jake Herberte, Ruby Caruso and Jack Van Lieshout.
Deniliquin High School students Toby Grimwood, Andrew Croker, Alex Harvey, Dakota McKenzie, Luke Holloway and Rylan Wade with their wethers.
Deniliquin High School students with their ribbons. Back: Tom McKern, Andrew Croker, Rylan Wade, Luke Holloway, Will Hindriks, Alex Harvey, Jack Van Lieshout and Toby Grimwood. Middle: Ruby Caruso and Dakota McKenzie. Front: Jake Herberte.
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