Although there was only one exhibitor in the Australian Sheep & Wool Show Dorset Down section, judge John Eccles says it would be foolish to write the breed off.
Mr Eccles, Bendigo, awarded champion ram and ewe ribbons to the Woodhall stud, the only exhibitor, saying they were true to type, with plenty of meat.
"The breed will stay for a long time, a lot of studs have come in and a lot have gone out, but the main stayers will continue," Mr Eccles said.
Producers had been "brainwashed" into thinking they couldn't have sheep with colored points, he said.
"That doesn't hold true - you put the Dorset Down over a white faced sheep and you don't get black points - the white points are stronger than the black points," he said.
Lambs could be turned off at 22 weeks, straight off the mother and to market.
"They are fantastic sheep to work with," Mr Eccles said.
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He said when he had a stud, he ran a "try before you buy" system, by lending out rams.
"If they liked the lambs, they bought the ram the following year," he said.
It was important to keep the minor breeds alive, as they still played a part in the industry, he said.
Woodhall co-principal Colin Chapman, Wedderburn said while he was the only exhibitor on the day, other studs were emerging.
"There were a lot of people here, who have Dorset Downs, but they weren't showing - we have two or three breeders around Bendigo and a few more in Gippsland - so I am encouraged by that," he said.
"They are looking at the heritage breeds, they are trying to support heritage sheep."
He said Woodhall crossed Dorset Down rams over Corriedale ewes and sold the lambs.
"We get great prices for the lambs - they are very hardy, friendly breed," he said.
"Wedderburn can be pretty dry and hot and they survive quite well."
Mr Chapman said the property was running about 500 Corriedales and Dorset Downs, in conjunction with a cropping operation.
"We were pleased we got them down, in good shape, we are in the middle of lambing at the moment."
He said Mr Eccles found the champion sheep were true to type, with solid meat carcases.
"They were not monster sheep, in terms of size -we find that good because it doesn't scare the shearers to much," he said.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
