Students from across northern NSW, including five from Armidale, will make their way to the sheep station Europambela in Walcha next Wednesday to be inspired by experts in the field.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It is all part of a Rotary International program Rotary Youth in Agriculture( RYAG), and Walcha is home to the sheep camp. Sixteen schools from as far away as Coonabarabran, Moree and Bowraville will send a total of 28 students aged between 14 and 18 years old to live in the shearers quarters on Europambela for four days.
During the camp, they will attend the New England Fibre Testing Laboratory in Walcha, the Nerstane property at Woolbrook and Ashfield property at Walcha.
The culmination of the event is a gala dinner at the Walcha Golf Club next Friday night in which all students will participate with the ‘Fleece to Fashion’ parade being presented by Liz Foster.
“This is an inspirational program for Years 9 to 11 school students interested in the sheep industry,” said Rotarian Liz Gill.
“During their stay, they are given the latest knowledge and technology within the sheep industry and visit innovative sheep farming operations.”
Mrs Gill said all aspects of best practice sheep and wool production techniques would be demonstrated in a series of hands-on workshops including pastures and grazing strategies; sheep classing for wool and meat sheep; wool classing, judging and testing; breeding and genetics; artificial insemination; pregnancy scanning and carcase scanning; parasite management and monitoring; electronic tagging, data recording and drafting; low stress animal handling and welfare; marketing strategies; and wool fashions.