After missing out on last year’s Queensland State Sheep Show, Chris Clonan and family of Alfoxton Merino stud, Armidale, has made up for their absence, taking out all four grand championships as well as the supreme exhibit of the show.
Alfoxton claimed the grand champion Merino ram with their junior champion fine wool ram. He was by Airlie 12-331, who was sold at the Great Southern Supreme Merino (GSSM) in Canberra for the top price $14,000 in 2015.
The New England stud also won grand champion Merino ewe after originally winning the junior champion medium wool ewe class. Sired by Charinga 13-240 and out of a One Oak ewe purchased at the stud’s dispersal in 2014, it was not the ewe’s first taste of success, being previously sashed champion August shorn medium wool ewe at Sydney Royal in April.
The 17.9-micron ewe then went on to beat Alfoxton’s own fine wool grand champion ram to be named the supreme Merino exhibit.
Alfoxton’s grand champion Poll Merino ram initially won his strong wool junior champion class before he was judged against the four and six-tooth rams to progress to champion.
He eventually battled and won against another Alfoxton ram, the four-tooth, full-flush brother that was champion medium poll ram to be sashed the grand champion Poll Merino ram.
He is by the well-known Alfoxton Samson, who won the supreme exhibit of the show at Goondiwindi, QLD in 2015, and later sold for $28,000 to a Tasmanian syndicate at Bendigo Sheep and Wool show later that year, and out of a East Strathglen ewe.
The grand champion Poll Merino ewe that was also exhibited by Alfoxton, also sired by Samson, was a full-flush sister to the grand champion Poll Merino ram.
She initially won the junior champion medium wool poll ewe class before being judged the grand champion Poll Merino ewe.
But it was her brother that put a holt to her winning streak, beating her in the supreme Poll Merino exhibit tussle.
The supreme Poll Merino exhibit then went on to be judged supreme exhibit of the show, outdoing his own Alfoxton pen-mate – the ewe that had previously been named the supreme Merino exhibit.
It was just the second show for the Alfoxton poll ram who claimed the top honours as supreme exhibit, something that Mr Clonan said he didn’t expect.
With their successful showing, Alfoxton won the highest point score aggregate for both poll and horned sections.
Six of the 12 exhibits from the Alfoxton stud were sired by Samson.
Artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfers are a major part of the Alfoxton breeding program with 300 poll ewes and 300 horned ewes in their operation.
Mr Clonan said Samson genetics had proved the difference on the day.
“That’s the beauty of ET, if it works you have a big pay out. If it doesn’t work, it’s a disaster,” he said.
The judges said it was the depth in the whole Alfoxton team they admired most.
The Alfoxton Merino show team will now head to Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show in July and Rabobank Dubbo National Show and Sale in August where rams will be available for sale.
Also performing well for the NSW studs was Garry Kopp from Towlaba Merino stud, Peak Hill, who won the group of five Merino sheep consisting of three rams and two ewes as well as the group of three rams.
