It’s the biggest sheep event of its kind in the world, and the 2018 Australian Sheep and Wool Show (ASWS) delivered all that it promised.
Wool, fashion, working dogs, food, shearing and of course, sheep – over 3000 of them at Bendigo Showgrounds, where everything in the sheep and wool industry came together to celebrate and showcase one of Australia’s major agricultural enterprises.
Amongst all of the celebrations came one common denominator – with the triumphs came more emotion and more meaning as Australian farmers are stretched to the limit by the drought strangling a large portion of Australia’s livestock and cropping enterprises.
As one stud breeder said, “the win means even more….you are going from one extreme to the other. The emotions definitely build up.”
Interbreed judge Wallace Binnie from Bungeet in Victoria commended the sheep and wool breeders on their efforts.
“The standard of sheep in so many breeds that are bought forward by exhibitors is incredible,” Mr Binnie said.
“The show seems to go from strength to strength.”
Ticket numbers increased by four per cent from last year, with Saturday the biggest day for numbers coming through the gate.
There were 450 individual trade sites with 330 exhibitors from every state.
Australian Sheep Breeders Association (ASBA), chief executive, Margot Falconer, said she had received feedback that the committee had managed to created a “happy event”.
“It was a very good show in all areas,” Ms Falconer said.
“A four per cent rise in ticket sales doesn’t sound like a lot, but any increase is always positive.
“I had an email from a New Zealand company that has two clients fly in from interstate to buy their product. That sort of feedback shows that although it is a sheep show, it’s somewhere where every facet of the industry can do business, we just provide a platform for that to happen.”
Ms Falconer said she has an amazing team of executive that are incredibly hard working.
“Some were working late loading stock onto trucks on the Sunday night and back sweeping the sheds early Monday morning – they do a huge amount of behind the scenes work,” she said.
“I am incredibly proud of the show.”
Bendigo also hosted the launch of Woolworths Lambition, in collaboration with the Annual Breeders Dinner, which was attended by more than 260 stud and commercial producers and industry leaders.
Hosted by Fairfax Agricultural Media, the gala dinner announced the launch of a new domestic marketing strategy by Meat & Livestock Australia that is set to hit the screens in September.