Agriculture
Dubbo Show 2025 – A Showcase of Talent, Teamwork, and Livestock Excellence
29th May – 1st June
Last Thursday, Miss White, Mr Batt, and 13 enthusiastic members of the ASC Livestock Team travelled to the Dubbo Show to compete with our stud pigs, prime lambs, and stud Suffolk sheep kindly provided by Kurrali Suffolks. The four-day event was packed with achievements, learning opportunities, and outstanding team spirit.
Friday – Stud Pigs & Junior Judging
The competition began with our Berkshire pigs in both the stud classes and pig junior judging. Our team presented 1 sow and 2 gilts, achieving fantastic results in a highly competitive field. Stephanie Kleindienst secured 1st place with "ASC Hog Ranch Lass P6" in the 6 to 7 months gilt class. Britney Tarrant and Jack Clayton also went above and beyond, assisting other studs in presenting Large White, Tamworth, Hampshire, Berkshire, and Wessex Saddleback pigs—earning praise for their professionalism and willingness to help.
The day continued with the pig junior judging competition, where Tom Kitchener, Sharni Barwick-Stackman, Ruby Green, Sienna Smith, Anja McIlwain, Kya Doyle, Kai Baldwin, Mitchell Ryan, and Chloe Looker all qualified for the oral presentation round—a commendable achievement. Special congratulations to our place-getters:
Junior Division:
1st – Sienna Smith
2nd – Sharni Barwick-Stackman
3rd – Tom Kitchener
Senior Division:
1st – Chloe Looker
2nd – Kai Baldwin
3rd – Kya Doyle
Additionally, the team was thrilled to receive the School Encouragement Award in the prime lamb section—a testament to the students’ dedication to caring for the animals throughout the term.
Saturday – Suffolk Stud Sheep Showing & Goongunyah Shield
Saturday started bright and early, with some students feeding and preparing sheep as early as 6:00am. The stud Suffolk sheep classes saw strong involvement and impressive results, particularly from first-time handlers:
July Ram Class:
Britney – 3rd with K1263
Kai – 6th with K1261
August Ram Class:
Kya – 3rd with K1304
Pair of Rams:
Jack & Chloe – 2nd with K1230 & K1294
2 Tooth & Over Ram:
Tom – 2nd with K1226 "Harold"
August Ewe Class:
Sienna – 3rd with K1302
Ruby – 4th with K1303
Pair of Ewes:
Sharni & Chloe – 4th with K1256 & K1255
2 Tooth & Over Ewe:
Steph – 4th with K1053
Mitchell – 5th
Objective Measurement:
Kai – 3rd (ewe K1265)
Kya – 3rd (ram K1261)
2 Tooth & Over Breeders Group:
Alex, Anja & Tom – 2nd
A huge thank you to Kevin and Donna White of Kurrali Suffolks, who not only provided the sheep but also offered immense support and guidance. They were highly impressed with the students' presentation and commitment.
In the afternoon, six students—Jack, Britney, Chloe, Kai, Steph, and Mitchell—represented the school in the Goongunyah Shield, an interschool competition with 17 schools from across NSW and QLD. Both ASC teams performed strongly in this demanding event.
The day concluded with more success in the poultry shed, where Tom Kitchener earned 3rd place in junior poultry judging and Anja McIlwain was crowned Champion Young Poultry Judge of the Show!
Sunday – Young Judges & Handling
The final day featured sheep young judging and handling competitions, attracting large numbers: 49 junior and 94 senior entrants. Despite the intense competition, our students continued to shine:
Tom Kitchener – Finalist in handling, 5th in meat sheep judging
Alex Kitchener – 2nd in Merino judging
Jack Clayton – Meat judging finalist
Britney Tarrant – One of three awarded the Student Suffolk Stockman Encouragement Award
Congratulations to all students for their outstanding performance, dedication, and teamwork throughout the show. Special thanks to all parents, supporters, and show organisers who helped make this experience possible. Your support ensures opportunities like this continue to thrive for our students.
Miss White & Mr Batt
Pig Prac in Action!
Miss White’s enthusiastic Year 7 students had the exciting opportunity to bring their Technology Mandatory theory lessons to life with a hands-on pig handling session!
Over the past few weeks, students have been learning all about pig production and safe handling techniques — vital components of understanding livestock farming in Australia. Today, they put those skills into practice by safely working with mother sow Lass and her seven pure-bred Berkshire piglets.
Working together, students calmly penned up the piglets and assisted in the safe securing of Lass. They then practiced safe handling techniques and basic livestock assessment skills, checking the piglets for signs of illness or injury.
A special shoutout to Maya Longley, Kenzie Willis, Finn Toovey, and Dilhad Adi, who didn’t hesitate to get their hands dirty, confidently handling the piglets and helping return them safely to Lass.
Year 8 Tech Mandatory
We were lucky to have a special visitor join our Year 8 Tech Mandatory class as part of our Quail Alternative Poultry Enterprise. Miss White’s sister, Rachael, made the trip up from Coolah to lend her expertise in a vital part of quail keeping — sexing to determining how many males and females are in our flock.
Rachael, who originally supplied our school with both the adult quails and the eggs we incubated last term, shared her extensive knowledge with the students. She gave an informative session on quail production, colouration, and sex identification, followed by hands-on demonstrations. Our students gained valuable experience and insight into preparing our young quails for sale.
A huge thank you to Rachael for making the journey — the students learnt so much and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We’re excited about the possibility of continuing this program in the future, as it’s proving to be an incredible learning opportunity for everyone involved.
Interested in purchasing quails?
Please contact the school to be put in touch with Miss White via email. We’re now ready to start finding new homes for our feathered friends!
