Newdegate Machinery Field Days: Newmans’ fine wool fleece sashed champion win

Newdegate woolgrower Kim Newman was awarded the champion wool title at the Newdegate Machinery Field Days fleece competition out of a confidence-building 40 entries.

The competition was well up on the 10 fleeces entered last year, with organisers thrilled with the optimism surrounding improved seasonal conditions and the wool market’s steady rise since the start of the 2025-26 season.

The Newman family’s two entries came up trumps winning both first place awards for fine wool and superfine wool, with the fine wool winner getting the nod for best of show.

Judge Gavin Shepherd, who is the Dyson Jones Great Southern area wool manager, said the fine wool fleece he picked as champion was very stylish with good weight and evenly grown.

“It is a very sound line of wool, which goes towards its 12 months of growth, and one of the better tensile strengths of all the entries,” he said.

“The superfine fleece that I placed first was very similar to the fine wool, but marginally finer — it’s a big fleece for the superfine category, but it’s a very traditional superfine type.”

The champion fleece scored the highest point total — 84 out of a possible 100, with 17 out of a possible 20 points for character, 13 out 14 for handle, eight out of 10 for bloom, 12 out of 14 for length, 14 out of 16 for soundness, seven out of 10 for evenness, and 13 out of 16 for density.

The Newman’s first placed superfine fleece scored 83 out of possible 100 points.

Mr Newman said his family often entered fleeces in the competition with a few champion titles from past years.

He said this year, the best fleeces selected for the show were those from the 3-year-old ewes.

He runs a 75-25 cropping and sheep enterprise with his father Rob and their skilful farmhand Max Maisey.

“We mate about 3000 Keetlan Valley blood ewes and market our wool through Dyson Jones,” Mr Newman said.

“This year was easier than last season, with less feed supplementation required due to improved seasonal conditions.

“We shore our main flock three weeks ago and are hoping for the best with market prices.”

In the medium wool category, Lake Biddy woolgrower Ashley McDonald was awarded the winning sash with his fleece entry that scored 83 points.

“We enter every year, but this year was very special as it was our first to take home a win,” he said.

“I contribute the win to the sound breeding of 40 years of running East Mundalla bloodlines.

“The fleece was off an ewe hogget from our main shearing a week ago.

Mr McDonald, who is the Newdegate Machinery Field Days president, said the wool competition was an integral part of the field day event and the local farming community.

“I expect wool is going to have a kick soon, it’s a premium product and worth a bit more value than the current market,” he said.

“If you do your margins, sheep are right there in value. I just hope wool values stabilise at fair prices.

Mr Shepherd said overall the commercial wool competition represented sound wools from the wheatbelt area and all entries were well presented.

Dyson Jones WA wool manager Peter Howie said wool industry confidence had turned around this year.

“The increased entry at the field days wool competition was a good indicator,” he said.

“There was also plenty of enthusiasm about with the wool market up 20 to 40 cents clean this week.”