The inaugural Murray Bridge school agriculture competition held at the Murray Bridge Show on September 28 was an "overwhelming" success, with more than 60 students taking part and showing off their livestock and produce.
A total of 28 classes were offered, including fruit and veg, sheep, dairy, goats, beef and poultry, with entries into 25 of those classes.
Competition convenor Zoe Jones said the interest shown in the event, as well as the level of participation, "well and truly" exceeded her expectations.
"I was a bit apprehensive about how it would go, and would have been happy with two or three schools entering, but we had five schools," she said.
RELATED READING: Ag sections stand out at 2019 Keith Show
Primary school and high school students entered the competition, with participating schools including local schools Unity College, Murray Bridge High School, Tyndale Christian School, as well as Eastern Fleurieu School, Strathalbyn, and Jervois Primary School, Jervois.
"The feedback I had from the schools, was that the kids got a lot out of it, a lot of handling experience," Ms Jones said.
"One school said they only took sheep and chickens to this show, and they're now going to implement dairy and fruit and veg into their agricultural program at schoo."
We've had schools tell us they can't wait for next year, and we're hoping to get some new schools involved.
- ZOE JONES
Ms Jones said the simplicity of the competition made it easier for students to be able to enter.
"There wasn't any criteria about the breed of the animal, it was really simple, you could just enter a sheep, didn't have to be a particular breed, just a sheep," she said.
"One of the schools said it had been costing them $1200 to enter the Royal, with not a lot gained, and in this competition the schools all went home with thousands of dollars of prizes."
Sheep classes were very popular in the competition, as were goats.
Unity College won the overall aggregate trophy, taking home 31 ribbons on the day, with agriculture teacher Jessica Burpee saying the competition was a "fantastic opportunity" for school students.
"(The competition) allowed students to have exposure to the industry through a 'hands on' experience with multiple handling opportunities." Ms Burpee said.
RELATED READING: Livestock focus helps reinvigorate country shows
The school was awarded $500 to spend at the Platinum Ag store in Murray Bridge, while Murray Bridge High School placed second overall.
Ms Jones said thoughts had already turned to the 2020 competition.
"The competition will definitely be going ahead next year - we've had schools tell us they can't wait for next year, and we're hoping to get some new schools involved."
She said agriculture competitions were a vital part of country shows, and it was important to ensure young people were involved.
"Our kids today are our future for agriculture, and it's very important they start young and learn the importance of agriculture in Australia," she said.
- Start the day with all the big news in agriculture. Click here to sign up to receive our daily Stock Journal newsletter.