There will be plenty of agricultural activities to see and experience at next week’s East Gippsland Field Days, near Bairnsdale.
Sheep will rule the field days, with the Victorian yard dog championships and a Merino wether trial among activities.
Australia’s new Australian champion yard dog, Kelpie Gogetta Brue, will compete in the sheepdog championships, along with his worker, Joe Spicer.
Mr Spicer, Brue and seven of his kennel mates, including past Victorian champion Gogetta Package, will compete across the three days, May 1-3, of the championships.
Mr Spicer and Brue won the national championship in Tasmania earlier this month.
“People can expect to see sheepdogs bred from Australia’s best farm dogs proving their breeding and all round ability on an even playing field, at the field days,” said Mr Spicer.
“Farmers can come along and see the efficiency which well trained farm dogs can demonstrate.”
As well as a field of 25 sheepdogs contesting the championship across the weekend, encourage and novice dogs will compete on Friday, followed by the open trial on Saturday and Sunday.
The competition in the shearing shed on Friday is going to be keen, with a new round of wether trials beginning this year.
Gippsland Sheep Breeders Association (GSBA) will host the wether trial, with teams of 18-24-month-old Merinos from 17 properties competing for fleece and carcase honours.
For the past year, the wethers have been together in one mob on a Stratford farm.
Two teams from southern NSW are competing for the first time, alongside two teams from northeast Victoria and the balance from Gippsland.
“There’s a bit of excitement in the wool industry with prices at the moment, so people are interested in benchmarking and improving their flocks,” said GSBA president Trent Anderson.
“While there’s diversity in bloodlines and territory among the teams competing, we’ve just got the fleece sample test results back and there’s a fair bit of even-ness in the competition this year.”
Shearing begins at 9am on Friday.
There will also be a woodchop competition, whip cracking demonstrations and cattle on display, alongside some of the latest tractors and equipment, on Friday and Saturday.