Last year’s South West Slopes Merino Breeders Association’s annual maiden ewe competition winners were father and daughter duo, Eric and Yvette McKenzie, “Grasmere”, Bethungra, with their team of 2014-drop Poojinook/Kamori/Nettle Park blood ewes.
Mr McKenzie said they entered the competition for the first time in 2015 to benchmark where they stood within the industry, primarily with their maiden ewes.
“It’s always beneficial when you put your sheep up against somebody else’s,” Mr McKenzie said.
“We wanted to get an idea of where we were at and hear opinions from others in the industry as we class our own sheep.”
Breeding rams for their own use, from the bloodlines used for the past 20 years, Mr McKenzie said the Kamori/Nettle Park poll rams are a good cross over the Poojinook horned rams.
“The polls are a bigger framed sheep and easier to handle,” he said. “The cross is definitely working in our favour.”
Taking the first prize from 10 other entrants with a team of 10 ewes each, last year’s judge, Australian Wool Network NSW stud stock manager and area wool manager John Croake, Tamworth, said the “Grasmere” team were were very even and free growing sheep.
“They had exceptional wool with very good handle and structure,” Mr Croake said.
Running about 1500 breeders, the average fibre diameter of the “Grasmere” flock is 20-micron.
Undertaking a six month shearing for the past two years, Mr Mckenzie said the change came about as a trial following in Poojinook’s footsteps, but says it has it’s benefits and has no desire to return back to a 12-month shearing.
“We probably have more lambs with a six month shearing because we are joining off shears and we are lambing off shears,” Mr McKenzie said.
“We are hoping it is much easier to get ewes in lamb without as much wool on them. Even though this year we were down in lambing rates, due to the soaking conditions, we are usually around 110 per cent.”
