SNOWY MONARO
Part of the Farmer Group of Rural Newspapers – Incorporating Your Farm www.monaropost.com.au
MONARO’S FUTURE IN SAFE HANDS The future of the Monaro’s agricultural industry appears to be in safe hands with an enthusiastic crop of young leaders coming through. Alastair King of Muniong, between Cooma and Adaminaby, is one of the region’s young farmers, eager to make his mark on the industry. Al and his family run the popular Avonside Merino Stud. Avonside is highly regarded for producing large framed, structurally sound sheep. Al has his sights set on continuing the stud’s reputation, and making his mark on the Monaro’s agricultural sector. The Year 10 Monaro High School student is passionate about Merino sheep. Recently, Al was able to combine this passion and talent for public speaking as a judge at the Berridale Ewe Competition. “It was a great experience. I assessed ewes and hoggets and made my judgements to a crowd,” Al said. “I enjoy public speaking and am passionate about Merino sheep.” Despite having two years left of high school, Al is hoping to study agricultural engineering at university. Helping with the day-to-day operations of the family property, Al is already putting his studies into practice. “I’ve been able to bring to the family business, skills around the veterinary side of things, livestock handling and safety aspects around machinery,” Al said. Off the back of a strong 12 months, Al said the property is heading into winter in a good place. “Going into winter pretty strong, there’s a lot of feed that will hold for quite a while now,” Al said. “Would be ideal for some more green cover. We started to experience a dry spell towards the end of our growing season. “Looks like fantastic feed for older sheep but younger sheep might struggle.” With his passion for Merino sheep and love for the Monaro, Alastair King will be a key member of the region’s agricultural sector in the years to come.
Wednesday June 7, 2023
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