AFTER more than 10 successful trips across the Nullabor, WA stud breeders will be again back in force at this year's Australian Sheep & Wool Show (ASWS) in Bendigo with a truck load of Merinos.
And one thing that can be guaranteed the truck load of sheep heading across the long straight road will not lack quality, given the expense to the breeders, with transport alone costing more than $500 a sheep.
Making the round trip of more than 6600km this year and hoping for similar success will be 48 Merinos and Poll Merinos representing 19 studs.
The team will include 12 full wool rams, three full wool ewes and 31 March-shorn rams.
While many of the studs exhibiting at this year's event have exhibited before, there will be a couple of first time exhibitors.
The Merino team for this year's show will include WA's representative in the national pair final which will be exhibited by the Hogg family's Navanvale stud, Williams. They will be hoping for better luck this year, after they withdrew as WA representative in last year's competition when their ram became sick and couldn't travel.
The Merino pair from the Navanvale stud earned the right to represent WA after it was sashed the champion pair at this year's Wagin Woolorama in March.
Also on the truck will be the supreme exhibit and grand champion Poll Merino ram from Wagin Woolorama from the Claypans stud, Corrigin and the supreme exhibit and grand champion Merino ram from the Williams Gateway Expo from the Darijon stud, Narrogin.
Like in previous years the care of the WA sheep will be in the capable hands of Paul and Michelle Williams, Narrikup, WA, who have organised the trucking for nearly all of the trips across to Bendigo.
But it is not only the sheep which need loading onto the truck, the group must also cart across its own bedding and feed requirements for the eight-day trip due to quarantine restrictions.
WA breeders first started exhibiting as a group at Bendigo in 2003 when seven Merino studs and two Prime SAMM studs exhibited and since that time WA breeders have only missed one show and that was in 2006 when WA hosted the World Merino Conference.
In 2003 between them the studs exhibited 29 Merinos and 15 Prime SAMMs and received five champion ribbons.
However since 2003, the return for the studs exhibiting in terms of both ribbons and genetic sales has been the envy of all states.
WA Merino breeders have had a good strike rate at the show over the years when it comes to taking out the top award.
In the 11 years WA breeders have been trekking across the width of the country they have claimed the supreme Merino exhibit on five occasions.
In this period East Strathglen has achieved three supreme wins in 2007, 2010 and 2012, the Gooding family, East Mundalla stud, Tarin Rock, WA one in 2011 and the Jackson family, formerly Sunny Valley stud, Kojonup, WA, in 2005.
Also during this period the East Strathglen stud has exhibited the national Merino pair of the year on three occasions in 2004, 2007 and 2012, while the Angenup stud, Kojonup, exhibited the winning pair in 2000 when it travelled to the event by itself.
The success achieved at the event by WA Merino breeders during this period has made other Australian Merino breeders sit up and take notice of the Merino genetics being bred in WA and resulted in 1000s of semen sales for WA studs.
And as a result in many Merino pedigrees you will now see WA animals shining through after they were recognised and selected breeders after their performances at the ASWS.
