A Victorian stud has taken out the supreme White Suffolk exhibit today at the Bendigo Elite White Suffolk Show.
Bairnsdale’s Ashley Park took home the broad ribbon with its 13-month-old ram number 666, which also won champion ram and champion junior ram.
The spring-drop ram weighed 119.5 kilograms and scanned 49 millimetres for muscle and 7mm for fat.
Ashley Park’s principals Ian and Pam Kyle have been bringing sheep to the Elite Show & Sale since it began three years ago and today’s win marked their first broad ribbon at the event, although they did win supreme interbreed ram at the Royal Melbourne Show last year. They bought six White Suffolk rams, four Suffolk rams and five Poll Dorsets to this year’s event.
The winning ram was by an Annavilla ram that the family bought in South Australia and Mr Kyle said he always though his progeny would be well balanced and structurally souns.
“We breed for meat content for the commercial industry, [in which 666] shows potential thanks to his length and beautiful hindquarters,” he said.
Senior champion ram was won by Kurralea stud of Ariah Park in the NSW Riverina.
Baringa, Oberon, NSW had reserve champion junior and senior rams.
In the ewe classes, Rene stud of Culcairn, NSW, took out the grand champion with its number 428, which was also the junior champion. The year-old ewe weighed 85.5kg and scanned 100mm fat and 46mm muscle.
Ashbank stud of Dubbo, NSW, won the senior champion and reserve ewe; and Warburn stud of Warburn, NWS won the reserve junior champion ewe.
The number of White Suffolks and Suffolks to be shown during the weekend total about 300 from 41 exhibitors from across Victoria and NSW, South Australia and Tasmania, which is slightly down on last year’s entries.
However judge Anthony Hurst of Seriston stud Avenue Range, SA, said the quality across the ewe and ram classes he saw today at the White Suffolk show was “exceptional”. Mr Hurst runs a large-scale commercial operation and looked favourably upon stck that met current domestic and export commercial requirements; including length and hindquarter and top-line muscling.