Students from across Australia have enjoyed a detailed introduction to the wool industry at the 2017 National Merino Challenge (NMC).
Now in its fifth year, the NMC continues to attract young people from across Australia.
The two-day event has now introduced around 500 secondary and tertiary students to the basic skills involved in the wool industry and introduced them to a network of wool industry professionals.
The aim of the NMC is not only to give students an understanding of the career opportunities within the sheep and wool industries but to offer basic skills involved with the sheep and wool industries through appraisal using both traditional and modern methods.
The NMC has quickly established itself as a leading education program for young students interested in a career in the wool industry.
NMC project manager Ben Watts said the NMC had grown rapidly since its inception because it met the demands of a new generation.
“Young people are very keen and optimistic for the wool industry. It is these young minds that will be taking the industry forward in years to come with fresh ideas for this industry in a digital age. It’s exciting to see and great to be involved and the engagement via twitter using #awinmc shows just how engaged they are.”
Over the two-day event students are introduced to and then assessed on their skills across a wide range of areas such as feed budgeting, condition scoring, breeding objectives, wool harvesting together with the commercial assessment and classing of animals and fleeces.