WHAT a remarkable achievement by St Helens Ultrafine Woolgrowers David and Susan Rowbottom to win their 7th ‘Vellus Aureum’ award, with a world record finest fleece measuring 9.4 micron.

The 2023 Ermenegildo Zegna ‘Vellus Aureum’ award is for the world’s finest and best fleece.

The competition is based on Greek Mythology – ‘the search for the Golden Fleece’ – Vellus meaning golden and Aureum meaning fleece.

Ermenegildo Zegna is a world renown, Italian luxury fashion house - it was founded in 1910 at Trivero, Biella Province in northern Italy.

Launceston in Tasmania hosted the 10th Annual Australian Superfine Woolgrower’s Presentation Dinner and Farm Tour and the Zegna Vellus Aureum (Golden Fleece) Awards on June 2-4.

The weekend included tours of the Waverly Woollen Mills, the Campbell Town Sheep Show, Tasmanian Wool Centre, Australian Wool History Museum at Ross, and the Australian Wool Handlers Facility.

Farm tours included ‘Bloomfield’ and ‘Patterdale’ country estates.

David commented that the Merino sheep found in this area of Tasmania (known as the run country) were grazing on native, unimproved pastures to keep the wool finer.

He also noted that they were taller and longer bodied sheep - not at all what David expected.

While these Merino’s still micron test between 15-17 micron, they were considered more a Merryville type of sheep - with longer legs and bodies.

While some of this run country is now being developed and irrigated - the area has an annual rainfall of around 24 inches - there is plenty of water available for irrigation - there are government incentives for some of these farms to leave areas of land in its native state - no introduced species and uncleared.

The prestigious Zegna Awards and presentation dinner was held at the Launceston Country Club.

The Zegna ‘Vellus Aureum’ or Golden Fleece - is a competition.

Wool growers are encouraged to enter up to 10 fleeces - they must be a minimum of 750 grams after skirting.

For David and Susan Rowbottom who have coated sheep - the only wool that is clean enough for this competition is the wool under the coat.

As David explained, by the time you remove (skirt) the fleece - so that only the fleece from under the coat remains; there is often ‘not 750grams.’

To win the award, a fleece needs to carry as much weight as possible, while still being fine enough.

Points are awarded for various criteria and an overall score given.

David explained that he entered his ten best fleeces - of which one he considered the best of his ten, but he was quick to point out that even “his best fleece is not guaranteed to win - you do not know what anyone else is entering”.

“If you get a good fleece with weight - then you are well on the way,” he said.

“We have what you think will be a good fleece but then it will not make the weight requirement.

“If one of our fleeces happen to win - I will know which one that is.”

It takes David only around ten minutes to skirt the fleece in the shed but then it goes to the kitchen table at night.

David removes every single visible spec from the fleece. Any foreign matter that is in the fleece must be removed - if anything but wool is picked up by a scanner, then it can alter the result.

“I can’t do them in the shed because the light attracts insects, and they can fall into the fleece,” he said.

“I can keep insects out of the house but not out of the wool shed.

“The minimum time to clean a fleece is half an hour but the best fleeces will take a lot longer than that.

“The work really starts in the preparation of the sheep - this competition is for the finest and best fleece in the world - the preparation standards have to be right up there, or it’s a waste of time entering - there are more than 200 fleeces in the competition - they get sent to Goulburn then onto Melbourne - where the fleeces are all tested on the same machine - the fleeces are then sent back to Goulburn where they are judged.

“The two judges are new every year - so that they do not get to identify the owners by the style and characteristics of the fleece.”

When I asked David how he was feeling prior to the big announcement at the dinner - he said he felt ‘good.’

“You do not get invited to the dinner unless you are in the top five farms - they have changed the set up now,” he said.

“If you win the top fleece then you become ineligible to win another spot in the top five fleeces - once upon a time you could win multiple places with your fleeces, but not now.”

To understand the significance of the Rowensville 9.4-micron world record set with this winning fleece - we need to go back in time to their 2016 win with a 9.9-micron fleece.

In seven years, David and Susan Rowbottom have been able to drop .5 micron.

David mentioned to me in a previous interview that he was aiming for a sub-9-micron fleece - and he reiterates by saying “that’s it’s still the goal - I am not sure that I can achieve it - but I do believe that it is possible - maybe not in my lifetime - but possible”.

“I might not be able to do it, but possibly Aaron (son) could,” he said.

“I have it set up now - well, the sheep are set up now and he will take it over.

“It is funny - people think that I am micron mad, but really, I am quality mad.

“I just try to grow the very best Merino fleece I can, and with that comes the micron.

“I have it in my mind - the type of sheep we need to produce, and we are at the point now, that I think I can take it to another level.”

David said they had not micron tested their ewes for about 15 years, but it was getting to the stage now that they probably would.

“I have a pretty good idea at what they are doing,” he said.

“But I have never put the finest testing rams with the finest testing ewes - it’s always been about quality first.”

David and Susan Rowbottom have a closed flock.

David’s considerable knowledge of genetics has enabled him to produce his own rams for his flock - not being able to produce the desired results from introduced genetics.

There are no loopholes in this ultra fine Merino enterprise.

To get to this point takes extensive knowledge and trust in one’s ability to grow a business, steadfastly toward an end goal. Both David and Susan remain humble about their accolades but it’s clear they are both passionate about breeding the best Merino wool they can.

Aaron and wife Bec placed second in this competition - so, it’s likely that we will see more ‘Rowbottoms’ inscribed on these trophies in the years to come.

What a legacy and a remarkable achievement. Congratulations.