Strathalbyn-based Pine Ridge Suffolk stud dominated the interbreed judging at Hamilton Sheepvention, Vic, taking out both the champion shortwool ewe and champion shortwool group.
The panel of six judges put Helen Schultz’s late May 2017-drop ewe as their top pick for the shortwool honour.
“It is carrying huge muscling, through the loin and hindquarter region, with plenty of volume in the front end,” Ian Gilmore, Baringa stud, Oberon, NSW, said.
An elated Mrs Schultz said the 109-kilogram, twin-born ewe was out of one of her best breeding ewes and sired by a ram from the Pamellen stud in WA .
“For what the industry is looking for at the moment it is a great package – so much meat and muscling and double muscling through the twist, and so smooth,” she said.
The Pine Ridge ewe was also a member of the stud’s champion shortwool group with another ewe, and a ram that was judged reserve interbreed shortwool ram.
The late July 2017-drop, which was by the same sire as the shortwool champion, had a massive eye muscle of 51 millimetres and weighed 132 kilograms.
The ram will be offered for sale at the Royal Adelaide Show Elite Stud Sale next month.
Mrs Schultz said it was her most successful Sheepvention in the more than 20 years she had been exhibiting.
“I am thrilled to have the success I had in the Suffolk judging but it means a lot to go into the supreme and have a panel of judges agree with the way they were judged the previous day,” she said.
“There are a lot of good sheep here.”
A White Suffolk ram from Booloola stud, Baringhup, Vic, bred and shown by Shane Baker was the supreme shortwool ram.
The ram – 170093 – was sold during Sheepvention for $20,000.
“I think it is probably as good a sheep as we have ever bred,” Mr Baker said.
“We have used it heavily as a ram lamb, it had 130 ewes go through its paddock and it backed up our AI program.”
Mr Baker said the ram had “a terrific width and length of loin”.
“It has got a pretty good White Suffolk type, and to go with it, has some pretty marketable Lambplan figures,” he said.
NSW judge John Jamieson, Finley, said it was “an extremely good sheep, on its feet, with an extremely good rear end”.
“It has a beautiful shoulder – it’s an outstanding ram for the breed.”
Croydon Corriedales, Condah, Vic, took out the supreme longwool ram.
Two Dot Border Leicester stud, Moyston, Vic, claimed the supreme longwool ewe with the same ewe as it won supreme exhibit with at last month’s Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo, Vic.
