Supreme ewe continues winning tradition with back-to-back success
A winning streak continues in the interbreed judging at the NSW Sheep Show, Dubbo, now entering its 12th year.
During the judging on Saturday evening, the supreme exhibit came down to a choice between a Poll Dorset ewe and a White Suffolk ram, with the Poll Dorset ewe from Tattykeel, Oberon, backing up her interbreed win from the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
The ewe, Tattykeel 240040, was previously judged supreme Poll Dorset exhibit, during Friday's breed judging.
In the interbreed ewe judging, the panel of 11 judges cast their eye across exhibits from 18 breeds to select a longwool, shortwool and shedding interbreed champion.
But it was not a clear-cut decision with the shortwool judges' determinations resulting in a tie for two sheep.
The stewards called in another two judges to try and break the deadlock, only to end up in another tie.
It took a third tiebreaker judge to declare the shortwool interbreed supreme ewe, the Poll Dorset entry.
That Poll Dorset ewe then went up against the longwool champion - a Corriedale from Roseville, Young - and the shedding champion ewe - the White Dorper entry from African White Dorpers, Thyra.
The finding went to the Poll Dorset ewe, which then went on to claim the overall supreme title.
This was the ninth time in a row, a Tattykeel Poll Dorset had won the supreme ewe and the 12th consecutive time, the stud won supreme overall.
In the ram judging, the interstate White Suffolk entry of Mertex, Mertex 240605, Antwerp, Vic, claimed the supreme champion interbreed ram title, after facing off against the longwool champion ram, a Poll Merino from Wealla, Balladoran, and the shedding winner, a Dorper from Deepdale, Merrinee, Vic.
In the group class of one ram and two ewes, out of 15 entries, the champion longwool group was the Border Leicester entry from Talbragar stud, Dunedoo; the shortwool winners were the Poll Dorsets entry from Tattykeel, and the shedding group win was the White Dorper entry of Burrawang.
The overall interbreed winning group was the Tattykeel Poll Dorset entry.
The most successful exhibitor across the show was Talbragar Border Leicesters, Dunedoo, while the most successful school was Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School, Tamworth.
In addition to the regular interbreed judging, the NSW State Sheep Show also included a special class to mark a century of the Australian Stud Sheep Breeders' Association.
This had representatives from nine breeds with membership in ASSBA - Aussiedowns, Border Leicesters, Dorset Horns, Hampshire Downs, Lincolns, Southdowns, Suffolks, Wiltipolls and Wiltshire Horns - vie for supreme ASSBA ewe, supreme ASSBA ram and then supreme ASSBA sheep.
In the ram section, judge Joanna Balcombe, Cranbrook Poll Dorsets, Canowindra, pulled forward the Suffolk, Hampshire Downs and Border Leicester entry.
She said the Hampshire Downs ewe from Jurambula, Henty, was a "very solid package" while the Border Leicester ewe from Talbragar, Dunedoo, was "packed full of meat".
But the finding went to the Suffolk ram from Bowen stud, Milthorpe.
"He's deep barrelled with depth and carcase quality," Ms Balcombe said.
In the ewe judging, it was the Suffolk, Hampshire Downs and Dorset Horn that came into the top line.
Ms Balcombe praised the Hampshire Downs from Jurambula as being very structurally correct, while she admired the width across the back of the Dorset Horn ram, from Avoca stud, Gulgong.
Again, the prize went to the Suffolk ewe, this time shown by Peel High School, Tamworth.
"She's packed full of meat - to be that age with that amount of meat is incredible," she said.
In the battle of the ram and ewe - both Suffolks - the prize went to the ewe from Peel High School.
Following the sheep interbreed, the Poll Dorset ewe went on to represent the sheep section in an interspecies supreme judging, against the interbreed winners from the beef cattle - a Shorthorn bull from Polldale stud, poultry - a Black-red modern game cockrell from Wyatt Harris, and a Berkshire pig from Richard Cole, Forbes.
The winner, judged by St Johns College agriculture convenor Ben Toll, was the Berkshire pig.
