Fifty sheep studs and other businesses have signed up to take part in the inaugural Stock & Land Sheep Week.
Livestock sales representative Justin Conlan said the team had extended the closing date to the end of this week because there had been a recent surge in registrations and they were hopeful more would come in.
He is excited the participants include studs breeding wool and meat breeds, as well as other businesses.
“It’s an all-encompassing sheep event, so people can participate if they’re breeding first-cross ewes or trialling grazing or other techniques,” Mr Conlan said. For example, a group of commercial Dohne producers have signed up to show their successes with the breed.
Similar to the established Stock & Land Beef Week, this sheep industry event will allow studs and other operations to welcome people onto their farms to show how they operate.
“It’s a chance to build connections with customers and grow your brand,” Mr Conlan said. He said sharing this information would be a boost to the whole industry.
Rural Bank, Ausmectin, International Animal Health Products and Gallagher Australia are sponsoring, which has helped to subsidise the cost of participating.
“This year, we’ve reassessed and bought it back to five days instead of seven, so it doesn’t clash with the Queen’s Birthday weekend,” Mr Conlan said.
“We’re very excited how Sheep Week is developing and we’re looking forward to building on it in coming years – we’re encouraging feedback.”
Sheep Week will kick off in the Western District on Monday June 5 and continue through to southern NSW on Friday June 9.
The Stock & Land team will also produce a podcast that people will be able to download onto their smartphone, tablet or other devices and listen to while travelling to farms. It will include interviews with stud principals, as well as commentary on the sheep meat and wool industries. The team will continue to upload photo galleries and videos during Sheep Week and promote the event, and the participating businesses, through the Stock & Land website and social media.
The Hodgson family are excited to open their Ardene Australian Whites stud for Sheep Week, which Bruce Hodgson said would give them the opportunity to showcase the breed – and their early maturing, high growth, easy care and quiet temperaments. Mr Hodgson said Australian Whites’ were growing in popularity and more people were interested in buying them, including to run in pure-bred Australian White flocks and in cross-breeding programs.
He said the sheep were looking really well, and their good constitutions and hardy feet had helped them weather the very wet spring with “no worries at all”.
