OPPORTUNITIES to forge a career in agriculture abound and are ever expanding and you don’t necessarily have to come from the land to work in the industry.

Hamilton & Western District Sheep Show feature breed convenor, Lucy Cook, is a perfect example of that having come from the city and now establishing her name in the sheep industry in western Victoria.

At the young age of 22, Ms Cook has become a regular and familiar face at Sheepvention in the sheep judging and show arenas in recent years.

“I grew up in Melbourne,” she said.

“I did a school-based agriculture program in Melbourne and have been working on commercial sheep farms ever since.

“I’ve worked on a few different farms but for the last two years - I have been working on a local sheep farm stud at Balmoral - Yat Nat Pastoral.”

Ms Cook has also been credited with restarting the youth program, ‘White Suffolk Youth’ supported by the Australian White Suffolk Association (AWSA).

On Monday at Sheepvention, agriculture students had the opportunity to compete in a professional setting Victorian Agricultural Society Junior Judging competition at the Hamilton & Western District Sheep Show 2023.

Before the competition got underway, Midfield Group Careers in Ag presented a panel of experts who provided insights and espoused the virtues of working in various sectors of the industry.

Panel speakers included Midfield Meats livestock buyer, Keely Price, Elders Hamilton branch manager, Lachy Patterson, and Coopers Animal Health regional sales manager, Tim McGregor.

Ms Cook was thrilled to introduce the feature breed’s guest judge who was invited to critique the Suffolks and Texels at Sheepvention 2023, 22-year-old Reece Webster from Bathurst, NSW.

Mr Webster’s family have been farming for 20 years, he said with the simple goal of breeding true to type, high quality production sheep.

A recent Bachelor of Agriculture graduate with a major in livestock production, Mr Webster is establishing a name and is carving out a successful career in the Australian agriculture industry.

Mr Webster generously provided advice on competing in the junior judging arena, with specific insights for the feature breed the Suffolk, and presented ribbons to the first, second and third junior competitors.

In the Under 15 category, in second and third place, were Good Shepherd Year 7 students, Jimmy Jess and Mikkaela McLeish respectively, with the champion ram ribbon awarded to Lucy Calvert from Ballarat Grammar.

In the Over 15 category in third place was Henry Russell, second place went to Josh Nicholls and in first place, who will go on to represent Sheepvention at the Bendigo Agricultural Show in October, was Isobel Mecham.

In delivering his assessment, Mr Webster said he chose the winning Suffolk ram in the Under 15 based on a “great top line - best line in the class”.

“He’s got his ears out - he’s ready to work,” Mr Webster said.

“He’s got that nice neck extension - smooth shoulder setting.

“He’s got tremendous shape down through the hind quarter.

“Bit down on his pasterns - you’ve got to remember he’s been standing all day so he’s probably a bit worn out.

“The ram in second (place) was a very structurally correct ram.

“Nice Suffolk head, good neck extension, perhaps not as smooth in the shoulders.

“Bit more of a lower tail setting but still got great depth in the hind quarter and good barrel shape.

“In third, he’s a nice good upstanding ram, good top line.

“He didn’t have as much width in the loin.”

Mr Webster passed on some tips to the junior show competitors and said when speaking about the sheep that are judged, always start with the animal you place first and then work down.

“You don’t want to start at the end and say why he’s coming last,” he said.

“Always start with a positive.

“Say the good things about him and then say why you placed him on top.”