Australian Fleece Competition raises $14,000 for Rural Aid at special auction

The Australian Fleece Competition has raised another $14,000 for charity.

The competition, which will celebrate 25 years at next year's Australian Sheep & Wool Show, has now raised a total of $242,000 for multiple good causes.

Rural Aid will be the benefactor from the sale of the 2025 fleeces, which took place at the Melbourne Woolstores on Tuesday afternoon.

The competition, the largest fully-measured fleece competition in the world, sees Australia's best woolgrowers showcase their top fleeces at the ASWS every year.

Fleeces are judged on everything from weight to strength and undergo testing by the Australian Wool Testing Authority (AWTA).

There were 428 fleeces entered from 150 woolgrowers at the 2025 ASWS in Bendigo in July.

Nutrien Kyneton branch manager and wool account manager Candice Cordy said about two-thirds of these were donated and sold on Tuesday, for a total of just over $14,000.

"We've got nine bales of magnificent fleece to offer to the trade, and we always find that the sale is really well supported by the wool exporters," she said.

Ms Cordy said thanks to the generosity of farmers, Rural Aid would be able to use the money to support rural communities.

She said this year, as farmers did it tough due to dry conditions, it was more important than ever to fundraise for such a worthy cause.

"I think with the dry conditions and natural disasters [this year], the support Rural Aid is providing in all areas, including in mental health support, is really important," she said.

"It's not just straight after an event or dry time, but it carries on for some time after as well."

Ms Cordy said the charity would also benefit from the platform provided during the fleece competition.

"It's also a platform for that organisation to promote their services to a rural audience which we have found has been really great and it resonates with growers," she said.

AWTA sampling operations manager for eastern Australia Tim Steere said the interest in the competition was building year on year.

"It's fantastic to see that people are still interested in participating in the ASWS, particularly the fleece competition," he said.

"We've just seen it get bigger and bigger each year, and people are taking more and more notice of the results and using that to improve their strategies."

Mr Steere said the AWTA team was seeing an improvement in the wool each year and this was reflected in the proceeds of the competition.

"We're getting more and more money generated from the sale proceeds going to the charity," he said.

Nutrien Bendigo wool area manager Nicole Davies said the fleece competition was a great way for woolgrowers to promote their hard work, especially in a tough season.

"It's a way to promote 'here's what I do best'," she said.

"They're so passionate about it and they love coming to the show.

"It's a big way to socialise and talk to each other, especially when times are tough."

Ms Davies said there was so much that went into producing a top-quality fleece.

Ms Cordy said the judging team was also looking into the commercial processing performance of each fleece.

In this way, they could help drive commercial woolgrower profitability.

"We are looking at that end result from the fleece when it is processed," Ms Cordy said.

"We're reviewing the benchmarks with the help of exporters each year to make sure that we're awarding growers who are meeting those specifications and hitting the requirements of the industry."

She said this was crucial at a time when there were growing costs of production pressures on woolgrowers.

"You've really got to make sure that your sheep are productive to remain profitable," she said.

"That focus on cutting not only weight but a good quality fleece that meets the needs of your consumer down the track has never been more important."

Incoming ASWS chief executive Sue Opie said the fleece competition was a "vital part" of the annual event.

"The show is about sheep and wool, dog trials and shearing, trade sites and wool craft, and that makes it a truly national event," she said.

She said the display of hundreds of fleeces at the ASWS had a huge "educational aspect", with school show teams and other attendees learning lots about the wool industry.

Ms Cordy agreed.

"It's quite unique that we've got such a broad range of fleeces on display as well," she said.

"People can come along and see everything from an ultra fine Merino through to a strong Merino but also some British and heritage breeds too.

"We have Lincoln fleeces on display, Corriedales, Dohnes, the full gamut of wools."

Ms Cordy said it was full steam ahead for the 2026 Australian Fleece Competition, the 25th iteration.

She hoped they could secure a record number of entries and amount donated to charity and encouraged any woolgrower shearing this spring to set a fleece aside.