A huge barrelled, strong wool ram from Mulloorie stud, Brinkworth, claimed top honours in the August-shorn Poll Merino classes.
Strong wool judge Warren McRae, Oakbank stud, Gre Gre North, Vic, said the Meyer family’s 23 micron ram, was a stand out for grand champion August shorn Poll Merino ram with its structure and “big square back” .
“It will go out anywhere in SA and cut a power of wool,” Mr McRae said.
The 160 kilogram sheep was sired by a ram from WA stud, Mianelup, and had an incredible 160 millimetre wool staple length.
The ram, named Elliot, was carrying a fleece testing 3.2 standard deviation, 13.9 coefficient of variation and 98.7pc comfort factor.
It had been the grand champion Poll Merino ram at the recent Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo, Vic, and is being retained by the stud.
Peter Meyer said Elliot, had “great stud wool” and carcase.
“You don’t see too many sheep with strong wool like Elliott, it will breed a lot of saleable sheep to go into the pastoral areas,” Mr Meyer said.
“We talk about meat in sheep and you can’t get much better than this sheep.”
Mr McRae said the three judges went with the fine wool champion for reserve grand champion for its very good testing, 17.4M, “sweet wool.”
The Imperial blood ram, NA 3686, from the Ashby family’s North Ashrose stud, Gulnare, had also had success at the ASWS as the reserve grand champion fine-medium wool ram.
Tom Ashby said the Imperial blood ram had already sired about 80 lambs.
The Michael family, Nyowee stud, Balaklava, claimed the ewe championship double with a pair of two-year-old ewes.
Their medium wool – a 20.1M with a 3.5SD, 17.4CV and 99.6pc CF – was elevated to grand champion for its “ beautiful deep body with rich, gutsy wool, according to judge Sydney Lawrie, Collandra North stud, Tumby Bay.
“If we can keep breeding breeding ewes like that they will be very productive for the Australian wool industry,” he said.
Reserve grand champion went to Nyowee’s champion fine wool ewe- an 18.7M Wallaloo Park blood ewe.
“Everyone looks at rams but you have got to have ewes to have lambs so it is great to be showing their production off,” Nyowee stud’s Ian Michael said.
East Bungaree stud, Hallett, won champion strong wool ewe with a daughter of $26,500 EB Otto.