Canberra Royal 2025: Tested Dorper, White Dorper stud sires continue to shine

An older White Dorper ram has continued to impress, picking up the supreme title in the breeding judging at the Royal Canberra Show.

The May 2021-drop, 115 kilogram ram from the four-tooth class was shown by Harewood stud, Canowindra.

Judge Thomas Youlden, Youlden Valley, Tomingley, said the ram had good muscling and bone.

"He's a very correct, sound older ram," he said.

The reserve champion White Dorper ram, shown by Cowra High School, came from the same class and was praised for its length of body and muscling in front.

At the other end, champion White Dorper ewe was a young ewe, less than seven months old.

Mr Youlden said the Cowra High School ewe had nice femininity and was well-balanced.

"She's got good bone and muscle for a ewe of her age and carries a nice amount of fat," he said.

The reserve champion was another from the four-tooth class, shown by Harewood stud.

Mr Youlden said the ewe was structurally good.

In the Dorper judging, champion Dorper ram was another older ram, shown by Cowra High School.

Mr Youlden praised its strength and muscle through the hindquarter, as well as forequarter.

Reserve champion, also from Cowra High School, came from the lambs teeth class.

Champion Dorper ewe was not awarded after some late withdrawals.

Harewood White Dorpers principal Clint Hole, Canowindra, runs a "boutique flock" of about 20 to 30 ewes, with the grand champion ram the primary studsire in recent years.

The ram had already picked up a win at the Royal Bathurst Show and third place at the Dubbo NSW Sheep Show.

Mr Cole said the ram was performing well, with good progeny on the ground.

Cowra High School operates two studs - White Dorper and Dorper - with about 10 registered animals in each, influenced by the Burrawang, Harewood and Nomuula studs.

The champion White Dorper ewe is a September-drop, out of a donated Harewood ewe and a Burrawang ram.

Cowra High School ag teacher Clint Cole said the champion ewe would be retained to see how it grew out.

"She'll hopefully mature into a very good stud ewe," he said.

The champion Dorper ram exhibited by the school was a Burrawang ram on loan to the program.

Mr Cole said the stud had been a great support, providing rams of about one-year-old to the school for 12 to 18 months before they return to the Ootha stud.

He said this allowed fresh genetics into the school's breeding, while also giving students the opportunity to work with new animals.

He said showing brought a number of key skills to the students, in addition to the agricultural knowledge.

"Showing is so important, it gets the kids out of their comfort zones," he said.

The school also competed in the school's shedding competition, with the school's White Dorper ram claiming the champion ram title and the White Dorper ewe picking up another tricolour ribbon.