A White Dorper ewe lamb bred and shown by the Hay War Memorial High School, Hay, NSW, has won supreme of the breed at the Royal Melbourne Show. The ewe was born on April 30 of this year, and already weighed 44.8kg. The school’s agriculture teacher James Caughey said the ewe would be retained in the stud and joined in November, so it would have its first lamb when it was about one year old.
Judge Graeme Hibbard, Deepdene stud, Narrandera, NSW, said she was a “magnificent animal”.
Mr Hibbard said the ewe combined structural soundness, trueness to type, great carcase traits and femininity. He said she stood out for her early maturing and doing ability.
The ewe is by a Dumisa sire. Hay War Memorial High School was represented by nine students and 14 Dorpers and White Dorpers.
White Dorper champion ram was awarded to John Banks, Baaramu White Dorper stud, Mardan.
Mr Hibbard said the ram was true to type and when he handled the ram, it had even more meat than it looked. The 15 month-old ram weighed 84.5kg and scanned 7mm fat, 48mm muscle depth, 97mm muscle width and 35.9sqcm muscle area.