Longford Show to celebrate a century of sheep

Organisers have had to find extra space at the upcoming Longford Show to accommodate the significant increase in entrants for the sheep section.

This year’s event will take place on October 18 between 9am and 4pm.

The usual show attractions, along with fleece, kennel and show jumping competitions, will be on offer for the thousands of expected attendees.

However, the sheep section of the show for 2025 is special for two reasons: this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Australian Stud Sheep Breeders Association and the Hampshire Downs Association is celebrating a quarter of a century.

Longford Show sheep section chief steward Brian Shadbolt said both of those factors had resulted in a 50 per cent increase in entrants.

“We can usually accommodate, at a pinch, about 120 sheep,” Mr Shadbolt said

“But this year we’ve got numbers approaching 150, so we’ve had to set up an extra marquee.”

Mr Shadbolt said that meant the sheep competitions would take up more of the day than in previous years.

“We usually get the classes finished by lunch time, but we’re going to have to spill over into the afternoon.

“For the first time, we’ve got merinos entering.

“It’s usually been just a fat lamb sheep show, but there’s some good merino studs in close proximity to Longford that wanted to compete.”

Tickets for the Longford Show are $15 for adults and $7 for children, with a family pass costing $35.

Children under five can enter for free.