A super fine fleece from a two and a half year old Merino ewe from Conmurra Station has taken out top honours at the Lucindale Show on the weekend.
The seven kilogram, 17 micron fleece exhibited by Nick and Katherine McBride had the highest commercial value in the competition at $82.82 and was also grand champion.
It had been shorn only a fortnight earlier.
Mr McBride said it was a nice to know even at their high stocking rates of 11-12DSE/ha and in a failed spring season their ewes were still able to cut a good amount of wool.
"The wool market has had a correction in the last 12 months like lamb, mutton and beef but it is nice to know it hasn't fallen as far as the other commodities in the last three or four months and there is still good money in wool if you get the weight and micron right," Mr McBride said.
Mr McBride paid tribute to their long-time classer Denis Kroemer from Eyre Peninsula who had selected the champion fleece and two others to enter.
The winning fleece just pipped a 7.2kg 17.5M fleece from AJ&PA McBride's Konetta Station, Greenways, valued at $80.78.
Elders district wool managers Steph Brooker-Jones and Robbie Farrell praised the quality of the 86 fleeces which ranged in micron from 15.2 up to 37.4M in the Merino and crossbred sections.
"The Merino fleeces had exceptional whiteness, brightness and softness across all sections which was a reflection of a very good wool growing season". she said.
"There were some extreme "worm - like" stapled wools, bold crimping and overall good stylish wools across the micron ranges but it was a combination of weight and micron that got the winners through on the overall value of a fleece."
Reserve champion and the judge's choice was awarded to a 19.5M fleece weighing 6.1kg from Shane and Laura Rivett, Avenue Range which had good visual appeal. It had a 73 per cent yield.
Lazerline's Ian Bradtke generously donated his time to weigh and scan all the fleeces for the competition in mid February at Boolringar Station. The judges then valued them on the results from the Melbourne sale 35 report.
Lucindale Show president and wool convenor Luke Farrell said it was great chance for local woolgrowers to get together and see how their wool compared to others in the district.
"It is good to be able to prove that a small community like Lucindale can get the numbers of fleeces we do- my goal one day is still 100 fleeces," he said.
The event also encouraged the next generation with Mr Farrell's daughter Flo winning the biggest belly wool class.
The proceeds from the fleeces will be donated to local community groups.
