Murrumbidgee Regional High School took out a very woolly victory at the National Merino Challenge this year.
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The school's agriculture classes have been rearing sheep as part of the national program, taking 9 month old wethers and raising them before they are judged against schools across the state and country.
Teachers Mark Duncan and Carl Chirgwin were at the helm of MRHS's agriculture classes that entered the competition this year.
Mr Duncan explained the competition and said that they had seen some disappointing results in previous years, so they were excited to have improved so remarkably.
"All you do is fatten them up for six months, they assess them based on wool quality and their carcass quality and resale value ... Between us and Griffith site, we have six lambs each. This year we came 19th out of 66 in total but we got the wool award," he explained.
Last year, MRHS came third-last across the Riverina, so taking out the best wool award shows how far the school has come. Part of this improvement is the tutoring of Yenda Producers, who regularly come in and talk through the processes and key points with students.
Mr Chirgwin added that the season had been good to them.
"It was consistent feed and a good season ... We also knew a little bit more about what we were doing this year," he explained.
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Mr Duncan had nothing but kind words to say about the program, but added that due to COVID concerns, the usual excursion had to be cancelled.
"Students have been excited, they really got in and participated. We generally end up at Dubbo at the National Merino Sale where they're judged - all the schools get together. It would have been a two-or-three-day excursion but they had to miss out," he said.
"You see the other schools and their sheep. Usually, the kids can see good shearers, rather than me shearing them," he joked.
Mr Duncan added that they would definitely be participating in the national competition in the future, and hoped to keep entering as long as it runs.
'The kids get a lot out of it, it's a great experience and an opportunity you can't pass up on. The benefits really make it worthwhile ... I'd be happy to do it every year, I think it's really valuable. For me, it's a no-brainer as long as they run it."
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