MARCH shorn Poll Merinos from the Riverina dominated major awards on the first day but it was a fine wool August shorn ram from a Goulburn stud making its debut that took grand championship honours at the 2016 Rabobank Merino Sheep Show and Sale at Dubbo last week.
The six-tooth 18.6 micron grand champion weighing 118 kilograms came from Rogara stud of Aaron Granger and his father, Ron, in their first Dubbo showing.
Rogara Merino stud was established in 1986 on Merryville and Snowy Plains blood and the poll stud was established in 2003 with Pastora ewes in lamb.
Reserve grand champion was the strong wool August champion from the Kopp family, Towalba stud, Peak Hill, which later sold for top money of $30,000 to Argentine.
Towalba also exhibited reserve champion August strong wool ewe and reserve medium August ram.
It was Ross Wells’ Willandra stud’s March shorn champion strong wool ewe from Jerilderie, which took out the poll ewe grand championship after being awarded junior champion ewe.
This 18.1 micron ewe weighing 102kg has an eye muscle area of 46 millimetres and was the junior champion ewe at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Bendigo, Victoria, last month.
Willandra stud also exhibited the March shorn Pair with fine/medium ET poll siblings by the $12,000 One Oak No.2 sire.
Other broad ribbon wins for Willandra stud in the March section included fine wool ram, reserve fine wool ewe, fine/medium ram and reserve fine/medium ewe and medium ewe.
Following a lengthy successful championship run for the Poll Boonoke stud, between Conargo and Deniliquin, their March shorn medium wool two-tooth 18.9 micron son of PB3.28 was awarded champion March shorn ram and junior champion ram of the fixture.
This ram was 2016 Riverina Ram of the Year and March shorn champion at Bendigo.
Sharing other broad ribbon championships in August wools were Weealla Poll, Balladoran, with fine/medium ram; One Oak Poll, Jerilderie, ,medium ram; Laraben Poll, Ulan, fine ewe; Alfoxton Poll, Armidale, fine/medium ewe; Nerstane Poll, Woolbrook, medium ewe, and Victoria Downs Poll, Morven, Queensland, strong ewe.
