South Australian stud Roemahkita won the Australian Merino All-Purpose championship from more than 80 entries.
Joe and Tracey Dahlitz’s 17.9 micron two-tooth Roemahkita 160018 scored 84.4 points out of a possible 100 for objective measurements and carcase and wool visual appraisal. Mr Dahlitz was “over the moon” to win the dual-purpose class with the AI-bred son of Kamora Park 333, after previously coming close several times.
“This class is one of the best ones to win,” he said. “It is not just one judge’s opinion, with all the figures coming into it.”
Roemahkita 160018 had been a standout from a young age and was one of the heaviest rams in the all-purpose section at 121.5 kilograms. It had an eye muscle depth of 43 millimetres and 8mm fat depth.
“It has such purity of head and muzzle, with great bone and depth of body and medium crimpy, white wool,” Mr Dahlitz said.
Roemahkita has collected semen from the champion, which will be used to inseminate 100 to 150 stud ewes later in the year. They’ll offer the winning ram at the Adelaide Merino ram sale in September.
Meat judge Ben Simmons, Dunedoo, NSW, said both the champion and reserve – from Poll Boonoke, Deniliquin, NSW – were “nearly structurally faultless”, but the champion rose to the top with its “exceptional width through loin, butt shape and width through the twist”.
“It has a really good skin too,” Mr Simmons said.
Wool judge Ray Lewis, Lewisdale stud, Wickepin, WA, said Roemahkita 160018 epitomised the “modern Merino”, with a large EMD and loin, but also plenty of free-growing wool.
“The meat game in the Merino industry is worth more than half the income – two lambs are worth a couple of hundred dollars, but a fleece of wool is worth $50 to $60 so we have to breed sheep with high fertility and these are the type of sheep we need to be breeding,” he said.
“We get paid by the kilogram for both meat and wool.”
