Benchmarking Excellence: Inside the Sydney Royal Sheep & Fleece Show

The Sydney Royal Sheep & Fleece Show has been bringing together the country’s finest breeds and classes of sheep for more than 200 years.

When Jeff Sutton first exhibited at the Sydney Royal Sheep & Fleece Show in 2009, it was very much a family affair. Along with four Border Leicester sheep, Mr Sutton was accompanied by his wife and three young children.

Every year since then, minus any disruptions due to Covid lockdowns, the family has continued to travel to Sydney to compete in the show.

“My children are now teenagers but they still enjoy Sydney just as much as when they were younger. They love being inside the sheep shed at six o’clock every morning and leave last thing at night. They exhibit our sheep and take part in the Young Judge and Handler competitions and they’ve won on a number of occasions,” Mr Sutton said.

Mr Sutton and his family have had a string of successes at the event. In 2012, Mr Sutton’s Wattle Farm won the highly sought-after Grand Champion Ram award and Supreme Prime Lamb Sire.

“I decided to start competing in Sydney to benchmark our sheep. I’d started showing through the Riverina at a lot of country shows and then decided to make the big charge at Sydney to see how we measured up,” Mr Sutton said.

“I think the Sydney Royal Sheep & Fleece Show is recognised as having some of the best sheep, so when you compete there, you are up against the best of the best. If you get a win, you know you’ve really achieved something substantial.

“The prestige of winning is great and exciting for the family, but we have made client contacts as a consequence of being there. People walk through, look at the judging, stop and have a chat, take a business card and some of those connections then lead to people becoming customers.”

The Sydney Royal Sheep & Fleece Show is a highly-respected and iconic event where competitors can showcase their expertise in more than 400 classes. Judging categories cover Fleece, District Fleece, Meat, Dual Purpose and Merino sheep and provide a comprehensive showcase of the industry’s diversity and innovation.

The event has been held in high regard for just over 200 years – the first show in 1824 had 42 pens of sheep and a prize of 40 Spanish dollars for the best group of Australian Merino rams and best group of Australian Merino ewes.

Today the show is also a platform to showcase breeds, present livestock in front of independent experts, gain valuable feedback and share experiences and advice with other people in the industry.

Competing – and winning – can also bring a raft of important business benefits, too, says Joe Byrnes, RAS of NSW Sheep & Wool Committee Chair.

“A win at the Sydney Royal Sheep & Fleece Show elevates an exhibitor’s reputation, products and the value of their breeding lines. If you win a prize, that definitely attracts good publicity – it will be the front page of your sale catalogue and the number one selling point for your sheep,” he said.

The opportunity to be benchmarked by independent experts and connecting with other people in the sheep and fleece sector are also benefits of visiting or exhibiting. Mr Byrnes said the annual show is also a way for younger generations to demonstrate their skills and build their knowledge.

“As well as spending time in the sheep shed, you can visit the cattle exhibitors, the goat and pig competitors or many other sections. You meet a range of producers, talk about your experiences and share advice,” Mr Byrnes said.

At Mr Sutton’s property in Temora, in the NSW Riverina, preparations are already under way for next April’s Sydney Royal Sheep & Fleece Show, and he has already selected almost two dozen rams and ewes to exhibit.

“The sheep have been shorn and we are now starting to feed, condition and train them,” he said.

“We’ve got almost six months to get them in condition, so they are at their prime when they walk into those sheds at the Cox Pavilion in Sydney.”

Key dates for your diary

• Early December, 2024: Schedule release and entries open
• February 19, 2025: Sheep entries close
• March 5, 2025: Fleece entries close
• April 11 – 22, 2025: Sydney Royal Easter Show