Sheepvention president Will Kinghorn said it was a a good time to be in livestock production in the Western District with good prices being paid for wool, lamb and cattle.

The financial stress of hard times was not bearing down on people and it was a good opportunity for farmers to reinvest in their properties, Mr Kinghorn said.

The Sheepvention site was thronged with people on Monday visiting more than 600 trade sites and viewing more than 1000 sheep on show.

To celebrate the event’s 40^th anniversary this year, a celebration concert was staged on Monday night featuring James Blundell and the Wolfe Brothers.

While Western District farmers have enjoyed good prices and good winter rains, the dry conditions elsewhere in eastern Australia are expected to restrict competition at Tuesday’s ram sale when nearly 300 rams will be on offer.

But that did not the edge off the pleasure for Matthew Coddington of Roseville Park Merinos at Dubbo who won the ribbon for the Best Pen of Five Rams.

Mr Coddington said his property was very dry but the good wool and meat prices were helping pay for the fodder he was using to feed his stock.

The competition has been a happy hunting ground for his stud and he was pleased to come to Hamilton this year to see some green grass, he said.

Also smiling were Nicole and Rod Davidson of Wando Bridge near Casterton who won Sheepvention’s  Inventions Major Prize with Davo’s Fencing Clip.

Nicole Davidson said her husband Rod designed the clip after she complained of a sore arm after hammering staples into fence posts all day to attach fencing wire.

Davo’s Fencing’s Clip is a heavy galvanised “paper clip folded in half” through which a Tex screw is inserted to attach it to a fence post with a power tool. The couple are about go into commercial production with the clip.