Mother Nature has been against NSW stud breeders Reg and Robyn Sweeney but at the 2019 Australian Sheep & Wool Show they finally got a break winning supreme Border Leicester exhibit with a young woolly ram.
"We missed last year with the drought and when we entered (for Bendigo) we thought it would of broken by now but it hasn't," Robyn said.
"This is a nice boost but we wish our daughter (Robyn) could of been here.
"She's is big part of it but she's home feeding sheep and we're lambing at the moment too."
So far for 2019 the Sweeneys have only had about 75mm on their Dunedoo property and are looking at their third year without a crop.
"Its the sheep that are keeping us going," Mr Sweeney said.
Judge Malcolm Starritt, Womboota stud, NSW, was struck with the Sweeney's ram, Bindaree 1180010,which won the woolly ram under 1.5 year old class, saying it would make a "valuable contribution to the industry".
"He is a lovely, free moving ram, only young but he is just flying at the moment and beautifully presented and alert," he said.
Its sire was the junior champion Border Leicester ram at the ASWS about four years ago.
The ram, which weighed 106 kilograms with an eye muscle depth of 40mm, is being retained in the stud but the Sweeneys will make semen available to other breeders.
"He is structurally correct with a nice outlook and a nice fine fleece," Mr Sweeney said.
"We place quite a bit of emphasis on wool in the Borders also being Merino breeders with a commercial flock that we use to breed first cross ewes."
The Sweeney's ram edged out the champion ewe from young Vic breeder Will Schilling, Glenlee Park stud, Gerang Gerung, who was also receiving his first broad ribbon.
Mr Starritt said the 11-month-old ewe took his eye in her class.
"She is very well finished right down into that hindquarter and will be terrific for the stud," he said.
Mr Schilling, who works as a stock agent with Driscoll, McIllree and Dickinson, has been breeding Border Leicesters for the past 12 years but was "ecstatic" with the win.
He said his champion was out of one of the very good ewes in his stud, having already produced a couple of very good ewe lambs.
Its sire was a ram lamb which Glenlee Park had used by Retallack Exceed and Excel
Reserve champion ewe went to Wattle Farm, Temora, NSW, with a ewe which Mr Starritt admired for its wool quality including "lovely length of staple".
In the groups, the Oaks Trophy for best group of four sheep was awarded to Wattle Farm, while Bindaree won the group of one ram and two ewes.
Border Leicesters will be the feature breed at the 2020 ASWS.