Touted as Australia's biggest agricultural classroom, the Royal Easter Show has opened to the public with education a big focus.
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While crowd numbers are expected to be lower this year with the show falling during the school term, more than 10,000 students and teachers from 185 schools will swap the classroom for the showground over the next 12 days.
With 12 hours of daily entertainment, the Royal Easter Show is the largest agricultural exhibition in Australia and includes a nightly display of horsemanship with the battle of the bison.
"The Easter show is all about creating memories," the event's Murray Wilton said.
On Thursday Macarthur Anglican School student Dean Krvavac led out his school's prize-winning ram, in his first time parading at the show.
"You just have to get them all squared up, make sure their back and front feet are aligned and make sure their head is up," Dean told AAP.
David Baker, agriculture teacher from the school at Cobbity, southwest of Sydney, was proud.
"Very happy with that," a glowing Mr Baker told AAP.
"They're looking at structural correctness, they're looking at length, width, depth of body, they're looking at wool definition as well."
From children learning to parade their animals to sheep being shorn, it's taken weeks of preparation for those who exhibit at the show.
Despite a 4.30am start on Thursday it was all worth it according to year 7 student Archie Shafer, who is one of the 65 students taking part from Macarthur Anglican School.
"You get to hang out with your mates ... doing stuff that you love, hanging out with the animals," he told AAP.
School mate Jeffrey Sutton, 12, is equally as enthusiastic.
"They're judging the sheep they're not judging you," Jeffrey said.
Almost 800 students are set to attend educational workshops over the 12 days of the show.
Annabelle Aran, 12, from Camden, is back at the event for a second year running.
"It's just so much fun, the adrenaline of being judged, it's just really fun," the year 8 student said.
Organisers say there's been an increase in sheep exhibitors at the show and a rise in entries in almost every agricultural competition.
While other competitions are branching out, for the first time in the show's history the woodchop will host a women's world championship.
The show runs from March 22 until April 2.
Australian Associated Press
