Mountain Mist White Suffolk stud wins top prize at Elite Show and Sale

Mountain Mist stud co-principals Imogen and Maurice Baldock, Nook, Tas, were rapt to win supreme champion in the White Suffolk/Suffolk judging at the Elite Show and Sale at Bendigo, after bringing four sheep to Victoria.

Mr Baldock said they won reserve junior champion ewe, champion ram and supreme champion White Suffolk, before celebrating the overall prize with their ram.

"We feel really good, you don't do that everyday," he said.

"He's a very smooth, long ram, he will have a fair bit of back end eventually, but he's only a boy yet.

"He's got the genetics behind him that I needed to put into the stud at home."

Mr Baldock said he planned to keep the ram in his breeding program, which aimed to breed the "best type" of White Suffolk.

"I've got some of the best genetics I could possibly get and try and mix and match them, and we're finally getting there," he said.

"We aim to breed the best type of White Suffolk with a fair bit of muscle.

"I started about 25 years ago so it's finally coming to where I've wanted to be.

"We had a really successful year last year; we won two interbreed champions [at Tasmanian shows] last year and Imogen was the main instigator behind that."

Ms Baldock started working on the stud, including showing, about three years ago, but has been actively on the farm since she was nine.

Mr Baldcock said he first started with Suffolks but moved to White Suffolks about seven years ago.

In picking Mountain Mist's ram as supreme of the show, judge Ian Kyle, Ashley Park White Suffolk stud, Bairnsdale, said he was a stand out.

"The quality of animals has been exceptional," he said.

"And when you get to the interbreed with this kind of quality, you could go either way.

"I just thought the White Suffolk was a bit more balanced, had smoother shoulders, and was nice and clean through the front end.

"He was really good on his legs, too."

The White Suffolk beat the supreme Suffolk for the overall championship, which was a ram by Sayla Park Suffolk stud, Kilmore.

And it was a ram the stud's principal Jon Sutherland said was "doing exactly what all good terminal sires should be doing".

"He's fast growing, early maturing and has beautiful bone," he said.

"He was a champion at Sheepvention earlier in the year, and he's a terrific example of the breed."

Mr Sutherland said he was a September 2022-drop ram, had come out of a ewe lamb, and was by a home-bred sire they sold at Sheepvention last year for $8000.

He said it was always a good feeling to come out on top in such strong competition.

"This is your window shop," he said.

"It's a great opportunity to display the quality of sheep that you breed and benchmark against other breeders.

"It keeps everyone on the right track."

He had 15 sheep in total at the event, and was offering a handful at the sale.

One of his ewes - that he described as a "beautiful, upstanding ewe" - also won the reserve champion ewe ribbon.

He said his champion ram would be offered at the stud's AuctionsPlus sale on October 1.

Another Tasmanian stud was rewarded for its efforts, with Sunnybanks White Suffolk and Poll Dorset stud, Penguin, Tas, taking out champion White Suffolk ewe.

The stud has been a long-term supporter of the event, but this was the first time it had won the prestigious prize.

Sunnybanks stud principal Paul Day said winning was an "awesome" feeling.

Mr Day said the ewe epitomised the type of White Suffolk they were striving to breed.

"We're only a small stud but we try to keep that true White Suffolk type," he said.

"She's a structurally-correct ewe with a great carcase."

He said she was a home-bred ewe out of a ram they were offering semen from.

This was the ewe's first show but Mr Day said he would enter her into local competitions over the next couple of months.

He also planned to breed with her.

He said the event was a great way to benchmark his sheep.

"Some of the classes had 45-50 entries, so to come out on top of that was really good," he said.

Closeup Suffolk stud, Finley, NSW, won champion Suffolk ewe.

Closeup stud principal Charlotte Close said this was the second year in a row her ewes had been undefeated in the show ring.

"We've been pretty successful with our ewes this year," she said.

"This year and last year we've won champion ewe at Dubbo, NSW, the Australian Sheep & Wool Show and this event."

She said she was surprised with the ewe that was picked best of the bunch.

"We had another good ewe that's been winning a lot of ribbons, but the judge picked a different one," she said.

"She came from the pairs and she has improved a lot since her first showing.

"She's a very-feminine ewe, balanced, and very structurally sound."

She said the ewe was being offered as part of the event's sale.