A EASTERN Melbourne private school is leading the way in helping revive the fortunes of a breed which has fallen out of favor, taking out the Supreme Champion Romney ram at this year’s Bendigo Australian Sheep and Wool Show.
Semen from Tintern Schools Tintern Elmo 328 (T), which also won at last year’s Royal Melbourne Show, has been exported overseas.
It has been used by leading New Zealand Romney breeder Hugh Taylor, from Doughboy, after being assessed as having a very dense fleece, with well defined crimp.
This year’s sheep and wool show judge, Ian Starritt, Womboota (NSW), was similarly impressed by Elmo, who is now a two year old.
“The ram out on top is an easy winner, to me,” Mr Starritt said.
“Unfortunately there is not a lot of competition up here, because I think he would still stand up there.
“As far as I am concerned, he has got everything I am looking for in a sheep; he carries right through, he has quite nice muscling to him, he has got good fat cover and exceptional fleece – it’s nice to see such a high standard.”
Tintern farm services manager Gavin Wall said Elmo was an outstanding animal.
“His yearling weight was 97.5kg, his total fleece weight was 10kg, with an 8kg skirted fleece – that was at 10 months growth.”
Mr Wall, who is also president of the Australian Romney Association, said in interest in the breed was increasing.
“I believe some studs will return, now that the sheep industry seems to be on the up,” he said.
The students at Tintern aimed for good wool coverage, structural correctness and performance.
“We have lambs there which are not yet 12 months old and they are hitting 100kg, with pretty good eye muscle and quite reasonable fat cover, so we have put it all together and got a product we can sell,” he said.
Working with Lincoln University, in New Zealand, the sheep were recording a dressed percentage of up to 60 per cent.
The university's Fiberscan system confirmed Elmo was carrying 36 micron wool gthis year and that was expected to increase next year, he said.
“We’ve modernised the sheep a little bit, cleaned up a bit of wool from the face, and got the fertility up, because our fertility at the school is now up around 200 per cent.”
