BARE breeches, wrinkle-free sheep and the latest mulesing technologies will be displayed at Dookie College next Tuesday.

The occasion will be the annual February expo and ram sale organised by the North East Merino group.

Group member and expo organiser Phil Toland said there was a lot of hearsay about the mulesing issue.

But he said this was a great opportunity to "come and see for yourself".

Visitors will see the progeny of sires bred for the bare-breech or wrinkle-reduction traits.

Phil said the five-month-old lambs had been scored for the bare breech and wrinkle reduction.

These lambs can be compared with the unmulesed progeny from the latest sire-evaluation trials.

Phil said the trials had shown that it was possible to reduce the wrinkle score by 25 per cent in one generation.

He said he favoured wrinkle reduction over bare breech.

"Certainly when we are talking about bare breeches we are not talking about big, bare bums or bare legs," Phil said.

He said the another conclusion from the trial was that there was little correlation between bare breeches and wrinkle reduction.

Phil said the expo would also include a display by Australian Wool Innovation's Geoff Linden of the latest chemical mulesing treatment, Skintraction.

The expo, which runs from 10am to 4pm, will also include a Helmsman sale of Toland Merino and Kilferra Park rams and a display of sheep by North-East Merino studs, Wirrate, Country style, Bennman and Koole Vale.

Northern exposure?

AUSTRALIAN Wool Innovation says there is a wool revival in the northern hemisphere.

AWI is quoting an optimistic Igea Stefano Borsini, president of Italy's forthcoming spinner's fair, Pitti Filati.

We hope Igea is right, although if his prediction is on track, prices for superfine wool should already be on the move.