Following a second place in the 2018 competition, Dacre Weston, Shalom, Bookham was awarded first place overall in the 2019 Berremangra-Bookham maiden ewe competition by judges Alan 'Smokey' Dawson, Winyar, Canowindra and Malcolm Cox, Bocoble, Dunedoo.
The Broula-blood flock bred and classed by Mr Weston are big wool cutters and he said the flock average weight last year was 7.9kg.
"We are getting somewhere with our cut but we are trying to sweeten the wool and work on our lambing percentage," he said.
"We only get 90 percent and if we can lift that, then we can cull heavier."
Mr Weston admitted his culling rate on the maiden ewes wasn't as heavy as he would have liked but he had sold a lot of ewes during December so he could look after the balance of his core breeders.
"Our classing percentage was only eight percent, so there are a few here who shouldn't be but we need the numbers," he said.
Alan Dawson said he considers the three 'F's' … fibre, frame and fertility … when looking at sheep and he told Mr Weston he has the 'package pretty right'.
"Your lambing percentage could probably be a bit better for the frame and the structure of the ewes and their femininity," Mr Dawson said.
"I think your wool cut is pretty good for this sort of country and for this sort of season."
He admired the big bulky fleeces and said they are a commercial type in demand.
"The structure of your ewes is great," he said. "They have good back ends, good depth under the twist and the wether lamb portion will be good yielding when sold over-the-hook with a good carcase shape."
Mr Dawson said Merino breeders should be mindful of the carcass shape of their ewes and their progeny because a better type of wether lamb will command a premium in the market.
Malcolm Cox was very impressed with the shape of the ewes and said they were an outstanding mob.
Mr Weston has been feeding his sheep for the past five weeks starting with trail feeding pellets and now on feeders; but admitted on his 590ha property he usually shears up to 1500 sheep which is a conservative stocking rate for the district.
"From a management point of view, in most years you will get a shock how well it does work," Malcolm Cox said. "As soon as you lower your stocking rate the sheep naturally do better."
Mr Weston's flock was placed ahead of Tony Armour (see right) and Bill Mackay with his shortwool Yarrawonga/Merryville-blood flock also winning the shortwool prize.
Roy Robertson, Bookham won the encouragement award while Tony Armour won the team prize ahead of Bill Mackay and Doug Painting with his Bogo-blood flock.
Desire for elite wool at Glenrock
"I like pretty wool and if you can get it on a decent sheep we will see how far we can go," Tony Armour, Glenrock, Bookham said.
Mr Armour's May-shorn Johnson Park-blood ewes classed at 29 percent culls won the team award at the Bookham ewe competition.
Judge Malcolm Cox said the wool on the Glenrock team was immaculate.
"They are productive and you won't get much better," he said. "They are not the biggest sheep but they are big enough for what they are."
Judge Alan Dawson was impressed by the symmetry of the young ewes.
"There are some pretty sweet fleeces in the ideal mob and enough of that type of wool," he said.
"You look over the total drop and they are there to impress, all have got a bit of lift about them."