INNOVATIVE ideas were well and truly on display in the 2022 Inventions Competition at Sheepvention, with the judges blown away by the creativity and skill demonstrated in all entries.

Held each year, the Inventions Competition provides a platform for farmers, companies, and children to present new ideas to the public where they can receive feedback and have the chance to win first place in their category.

This year, the competition was judged by locals John Wilkins, Trevor Steel, and Gary Doyle, who said the entries were of a high standard with all competitors paying a lot of attention to the functionality of their submissions. 

“I think there was a lot of thought put in and as a first time judging for me, I think the quality of them all was very good,” Mr Doyle said.

The top prize of the Robert F Stewart Major Award went to Shane Burke for the Powermaster Woolpress, which is available locally at Henry’s Hydraulics, with Mr Doyle saying it was “a very smart machine”.

“For me, nearly every new feature was very good, for example the safety features, but I think the winning feature was its ability to work with reduced power, or sort of up and down power, which we often get out in the bush,” he said.

“This machine has the ability to adjust to whatever voltage it’s getting.”

Mr Burke was also awarded first place in the Livestock Equipment and Technology category, with Rod Davidson coming in second for his Davidson’s Reel Clip, and Sarah Birt coming third for her Numnuts Device.

The Farm Machinery and Technology category saw Will Crawford take out the top prize for his Fire Unit, which Mr Doyle said was an innovative concept.

“We thought that was a really great idea, he built it to put on the front of a chaser bin, but you could fight small fires with it on the front of a tractor or other areas,” he said.

“It seemed so versatile and so practical with the way he’s made it.”

Second place for the Farm Machinery and Technology category went to Nigel Paulet for the Paulet Paddock Conditioner, with third place going to Owen O’Keefe for his invention of Ok Gate Mate.

There were more great inventions presented in the Business and Corporate Technology category, with Glenn Haynes awarded first place for his AWI Catch and Deliver invention and Nick Seymour awarded second for his Water Rat entry.

Mr Doyle said Mr Haynes’ invention would be a “fantastic thing” for the shearing industry due to reducing the need for shearers to drag sheep.

“There’s been a lot of ones that were manual, but this one was air operated,” Mr Doyle said.

“Sheep seem to be getting bigger and bigger - (this invention) puts them right next to the hand piece - so there’s no dragging needed.

“It’ll save a fair few backs and will keep shearers in the industry longer.”

The competition also catered for young inventors, with Zara Bergmark taking out top prize in the Best Overall Student Invention category for her tool belt made from an old pair of jeans, and Bentley Sutherland awarded second place for his boot rack.

The tool belt made from an old pair of jeans was a favourite amongst the three judges, as it was a cost-effective product that could be made at home.

“We thought that was very innovative (and) a very practical use of old jeans,” Mr Doyle said.

“Maybe not everyone can go out to Bunnings to get a new tool belt, but if you’ve got an old pair of jeans you can cut the back out of it and it’s already got the belt loops.”

The final category of the competition was for the Best Innovative Student Idea, which went to Hannah Carroll for her shoe cleaner, which Mr Doyle said was very relevant considering the current biosecurity threats.

“When we first saw it, we thought it was just a way to scrape the mud off your boots, but then we noticed she had a little foot bath attached to it as well,” he said.

“It’s a sign of the times – if you think about the risk of FMD (foot and mouth disease).

“She had obviously been paying attention to the news and what was going on.”

The judges extended their thanks to participants across all categories of the competition and said they hoped to see it return bigger and better next year.

The 2022 Inventions Competition was sponsored by Southern Farming Systems, the Southern Grampians Shire, Atlex Stockyards, and Koonik Dohnes Stud.