Bordertown producers Shane and Linda Longbottom and their son Rohan have blitzed the on hook judging of the 2019 Mundulla Prime Lamb Competition claiming the top two spots in the crossbred export class and the overall win.
Their May 2018 drop, White Suffolk-Merino lambs scored an impressive 245 points out of a possible 260, including 95 out of 100 for DEXA (an objective measurement of a lamb carcase's lean, fat and bone ratio).
This set them up for the overall win and the major prize of a Shearwell Australia hand held scanner valued at $1200.
"We have been part of JBS's Farm Assurance Program since its inception and have been consistently among the top 10 producers so it is nice to do so well." Shane said.
"We always like to know how our lambs are comparing to others and many of JBS's top producers are all from this area so a win here means a lot."
The winning lambs, which made $205, were third in the on-hoof export class.
They were bred from large-framed Merinos bought in from the Mid North and Mallee and sired by White Suffolks from Days Whiteface stud, Bordertown.
'We look for those high growth rams and always pay about $500 above the sale average- the quality we buy has really improved over the years," he said.
The Longbottoms, who also run a successful engineering firm Tatiara Industrial Repairs, will turn off about 10,000 lambs this year, about half from their own breeding and the remainder traded lambs.
It was one of these bought in pens which was second in the crossbred export class.
The,Poll Dorset-Merino lambs were bought at 18 kilogram to 23kg liveweight from Wellington, NSW late last year.
"Normally you only get to buy the thirds and fourths of other people's sheep but we bought half a dozen complete drops because of the drought," Mr Longbottom said.
"The two pens shows you not only need the right genetics but to also get the feeding right."
Both pens had been finished on irrigated lucerne.
The on-hoof section of the Mundulla Prime Lamb Competition was an impressive sight at the local show last month with 52 pens of lambs from throughout the South East.
The top five placegetters from the crossbred export and trade classes and top three in the Merino export class progressed to on hook judging ,but the more than 500 lambs were all processed at JBS Australia's Bordertown abattoir.
Judge and JBS Australia livestock buyer Brendon Geary said the Longbottoms' winning lambs were "near perfect" for lean meat yield to carcase ratio.
He said the overall quality was "as good as you would see".
"A lot of producers and agents put a lot of effort into meeting the on hook specs and evenness of the pens," he said. "Off the back of a very dry season a lot of lambs were supplementary fed which really added to the evenness of quality."
The Williams family, Willswood Farms, Bordertown, translated their on hoof trade class win to also finish top in the on-hook section with their White Suffolk-sired second cross lambs.
Roger and Sue Groocock, Wirrega, took out the Merino export class with their Ridgway Advance bloods.
Mr Geary commended the organisers for re-invigorating the prime lamb competition, along with the agents and producers who supported it.
He hoped the Bordertown abattoir would have its hook tracking operational soon to enable all the lambs to be judged on hook next year.
