IT was a tough day from start to finish for British and Australasian breed judges Michael O'Neill, Annaghdowns Suffolk and White Suffolk studs, Northam and Denam Carter, Ridgetop White Suffolk, Poll Dorset and White Dorper studs, Mt Barker at the Make Smoking History Williams Gateway Expo last week.
There were equal measures of quantity and quality sheep on show to fill out each breed section of the judging and when it came down to the business end of the day there were some standouts in the interbreed selections.
In the coveted interbreed group competition, the two wheel Honda Motorbike (sponsored by Farm Weekly), the award went to the White Suffolk group from Max Whyte and Gail Cremasco's Brimfield White Suffolk stud, Kendenup.
Picked as the winning group out of seven breed groups in total, the White Suffolks pipped the Prime SAMM, Texel, Suffolk, Poll Dorset, White Dorper and Ile de France breeds to win the motorbike and bolstering the Brimfield interbreed group was the interbreed champion and champion White Suffolk ewe and the champion White Suffolk ram from the individual interbreed and single breed judging.
The interbreed champion Brimfield White Suffolk ewe was an ET-bred ewe by a Depta Grove sire, which Mr Whyte said had made $23,000 at the Depta Grove sale in 2014.
When commenting on the ewe, judge Michael O'Neill said it was a very soft and well-balanced ewe.
"She has the right degree of muscle and finish," he said.
"She is exceptionally well-balanced and very stylish, she is a lovely ewe."
Standing in reserve to the champion interbreed ewe was a very stylish Poll Dorset ewe from the Squiers family's Dongadilling stud, Quairading.
This ewe had previously been sashed the champion Poll Dorset ewe in the breed judging earlier in the day.
In the interbreed ram judging, a Prime SAMM ram from KD Genetics Prime SAMM stud, Kojonup, was the number one choice of judges Denam Carter and Michael O'Neill, and they said that it was a very tidy, smooth ram.
"We thought that he was a good type for the breed," Mr Carter said.
"He wasn't too extreme in terms of muscle, but he had plenty of length, a sirey outlook and was very structurally sound."
A top ram is sometimes recognised for what it can do for the breed no matter how significant the breed is within the flocks of WA.
And such was the case when a Wiltipoll ram from Brian and Neroli Smith, Neribri Wiltipoll stud, Boyanup, was judged the reserve champion interbreed ram.
Both judges agreed that the Wiltipoll ram was the best example of the breed they had seen with outstanding muscle, softness, structure and length.
To the best of their knowledge, it was the highest accolade a Wiltipoll ram had been awarded in a prominent multi-breed competition in WA and possibly Australia.
p White Suffolk
Four studs put their sheep up to be judged in the White Suffolk breed judging and it was the interbreed champion ewe from the Brimfield stud who scooped the pool as the best of the breed and champion White Suffolk ewe.
While the Brimfield ewe pipped the ram as the judges' preference for the best of the breed, the champion White Suffolk ram also hailed from the Brimfield stud.
When commenting on the champion ram, judge Michael O'Neill said Brimfield 621 was the ram which he felt was the sire whose progeny would create more market options.
"He is longer, a bit better muscled and has the type of frame which could create more market options for his progeny," he said.
"A very fine example of the White Suffolk breed."
The champion ram was by Glengarry 12-11 which was a sire breeding particularly well in the Brimfield stud.
In reserve to the Brimfield champion ram was a sire from Grant and Debbie Bingham's Iveston stud, Williams, which was described by Mr O'Neill as being the complete package in terms of conformation and muscling but was just a bit overpowered on the day.
Continuing the broad ribbon winners in the single classes, a ewe from the Ashbourne White Suffolk stud, Katanning, was sashed the reserve champion White Suffolk ewe.
In the breed group classes, the champion pair of ewes was exhibited by the Sasimwa stud, York, and the group of two rams and two ewes were exhibited by Brimfield and was the group which later went on to win the motorbike.
p Poll Dorset
As in previous years the contingent of Poll Dorset studs was strong at this year's Williams Expo.
Eight studs from Kendenup, Quairading, Kojonup, Harvey, Popanyinning and Gnowangerup journeyed to the highway town, making Denam Carter's role as judge a non-enviable one - especially given the quality of the stock on show.
But by the end of the day it became pretty clear which studs had bought along some of the most superior quality genetics.
It was Max Whyte, Brimfield stud, Kendenup and the Squiers family, Dongadilling and Shirlee Downs stud, Quairading, whose sheep took out the best of breed, champion ram, champion ewe, reserve champion ram and reserve champion ewe ribbons.
Dongadilling stud's champion ewe was awarded the sought-after green best of breed ribbon following a standout performance against 13 other entrants from six different studs in the milk tooth class midway through the Poll Dorset judging.
One of the two Brimfield ewes from the same class (which placed second and third in the judging) took home the reserve champion sash.
Mr Carter said the champion and reserve champion ewes were like peas in a pod despite being from different backgrounds and this made his judging task difficult.
"It really was a very even line-up of ewes overall with the exception of a couple which perhaps lacked some depth and balance," he said.
"Overall, Dongadilling's ewe was very stylish, balanced and had a stretchy long frame.
"She's a hefty, structurally correct young ewe that has plenty of breeding potential and plenty of meat through the loin."
In a change of pace, both the Brimfield champion and the Shirlee Downs reserve champion rams were plucked from the pair of rams class for rams showing their milk teeth only.
Mr Carter said it was one thing to look at the ram line-up but he completely changed his mind about a number of young sires once he put his hands on them and got a feel for their muscle, make-up and overall structure.
"The champion ram has plenty of meat on him, carries himself well and is the textbook definition of what a Poll Dorset ram should be," he said.
"He stood well and anybody would be more than happy to have him in their paddock."
Of the overall Poll Dorset competition, Mr Carter said it was great to see so many Poll Dorset studs attending such a competition to get an idea about where their animals fit in the grand breeding scheme.
"It really was a fabulous line-up overall with a number of ewes and rams having such great qualities that it was almost too tough to call," he said.
"Congratulations to the Whyte and Squiers families for some very well deserved accolades."
p Suffolk
It was clear from the first class that it was going to be difficult to get a ribbon in the Suffolk judging with judge Michael O'Neill having to select his winners from nine rams in the first class.
There were more than 30 exhibits in the Suffolk judging overall, but at the end of the day the animal judged as best of the breed overall as well as the champion Suffolk ram was exhibited by the Sasimwa Suffolk stud, York.
Mr O'Neill said the breed champion was absolutely bullet proof in its conformation and was a clear winner on the day.
"He has excellent carcase attributes but most importantly this does not come at the cost of structure," he said.
"Ideally, this ram would do a great job producing lambs in the 18-22kg carcase weight range."
Standing in reserve to the champion Suffolk ram was a sire from the Kalinda Suffolk stud, Boyanup, which was also awarded first place in the pair of rams class.
In the ewe classes, a Burnbrook ewe rose to the top of a class of eight (ewe showing milk teeth only) and then was selected as the champion Suffolk ewe.
The sweet and correct ewe was described by Mr O'Neill as being an ideal prototype of the Suffolk ewe.
"She has great length, overall style and also displays good carcase attributes," he said.
The reserve champion Suffolk ewe ribbon was awarded to an exhibit from the Sasimwa Suffolk stud that also took out the pair of ewes and the group of two rams and two ewes rounding out a great showing for the stud.
p Prime SAMM
Two studs made up the Prime SAMM showing and it was KD?Genetics and the Shirlee Downs studs which shared the ribbons around and demonstrated the breed's potential.
Judge Denam Carter decided upon the champion Prime SAMM ewe for his best of the breed and this ewe came from the Shirlee Downs stud, Quairading.
Mr Carter said the ewe was something special and had a lovely feminine head, great length and excellent muscle.
"She just had that great composition and extra visual appeal which put her up over the ram," he said.
The champion Prime SAMM ram from KD?Genetics was pipped at the post for the best of the breed overall, but was judged as the interbreed champion ram overall which was testament to its quality.
"He's a smooth, clean ram with plenty of depth and softness," Mr Carter said.
"He has exceptional length of loin."
The ribbons continued to be shared equally between KD?Genetics and the Shirlee Downs studs and a Shirlee Downs ram won the reserve ram ribbon and the reserve champion ewe ribbon was awarded to KD?Genetics.
In the group classes, Shirlee Downs took out first place in the pair of ewes and the group of two rams and two ewes.
p Texel
Even though the JimJan Texel stud, Boyup Brook, was the sole stud in the Texel judging, the quality of the sheep put up by Jim and Jan Glover as always impressed both the judges and the onlookers.
It was the ram that was deemed to be the best of the breed when it came down to the final decision of the judging classes and Michael O'Neill was clearly impressed with the ram's credentials.
"He's well-muscled without being too extreme," he said.
Before being awarded the best of the breed ribbon the JimJan sire was also sashed the champion Texel ram.
Nudged out for the best of the breed sash was the champion Texel ewe and it was described by Mr O'Neill as having a fantastic carcase which was complemented by good fat cover and softness.
Both the reserve ribbons for the champion Texel ewe and ram were won by JimJan sheep and stud principal Jim Glover said he was pleased because all his sheep were sired by a homebred Texel stud sire.
p Ile de France
The Batt brothers from the Goldenover and Alcostro Ile de France studs demonstrated the attributes of the Ile de France breeds and the best of the breed ribbon went to the champion Ile de France ram from the Goldenover stud, Narrogin.
An incredibly stylish ram, Mr Carter said it caught his eye immediately.
"He really stood out as a clear overall winner," he said.
"Great muscle, smooth and well put together."
The Goldenover stud was also awarded first in the pair of rams class.
The Alcostro stud, Wagin, dominated the ewe classes however and both the champion ewe and reserve ewe ribbons were awarded to the Alcostro stud as well as the champion group of two rams and two ewes and the reserve champion ram ribbons.
p White Dorper
Just like last year the White Dorper section of the judging was represented wholly and solely by KD?Genetics, Riverside stud, owned by the Stevenson family, Kojonup.
Property manager Bayden Reid travelled to Williams with five White Dorpers - two rams showing their milk teeth only (class 1 - born before July 1), a ewe showing its milk teeth only (class 5) and a pair of ewes which also displayed their milk teeth (class 7).
In the ram judging, judge Denam Carter commented that both animals were true to type, even and a real representation of the White Dorper breed.
"There wasn't much in it," he said.
"Perhaps the champion just stood a little more squarely and was slightly more well-rounded overall."
However it was the young ewe pair competing on its own in class seven which really sparked Mr Carter's interest.
One of the young dams took out the champion White Dorper ewe of the show and thanks to quality attributes like its length, muscling and square stance it too went back to Kojonup with the best of the breed sash draped across its back.
The second ewe in the pair was given the title of reserve champion ewe.
"The champion ewe really is a good representation of the breed," Mr Carter said.
"She's even right the way through and has good muscling."
Having taken out all the ribbons in the three White Dorper categories, Mr Reid said despite the fact there was no competition to speak of and the stud was the only entrant it was still worth having a qualified and respected judge like Mr Carter inspect the sheep for the stud's own benchmarking purposes.
"It's also a great way to keep abreast of what's going on in the sheep industry in this area," he said.
"Hopefully the competition will attract more entrants across the board in upcoming years."
p Wiltipoll
There were three Wiltipoll studs vying for bragging rights this year and in a testament to both Brian and Neroli Smith, Neribri stud, Boyanup and Ted, Jax and Patrick Cordwell, Fleegles stud, Serpentine, two of the trio performed to an extremely impressive standard.
Neribri stud was the only exhibitor in the two milk teeth ram categories (one for pairs) and was then joined by Fleegles stud and Eaglenook stud, Keysbrook, in the ewe showings.
Despite the competition, Neribri stud shone in the ring, with one of its rams born after June 30 picking up the champion ram ribbon, followed by its second place counterpart being awarded reserve champion ram in the overall Wiltipoll competition.
Of the champion ram judge Denam Carter said it was long, clean, correct and a good breed type and it's runner-up fell short because it lacked a little bit of condition.
"Like all the rams sashed so far today this ram really is true to its type and is everything a good Wiltipoll should be," he said.
"The reserve champion fell behind just marginally due to its carcase through the middle."
Fleegles stud was awarded top honours for its champion Wiltipoll ewe - one of the three ewes the stud exhibited in class five for milk teeth only.
The young dam impressed Mr Carter so much that he also awarded it the best of the Wiltipoll breed.
The reserve champion ewe title was awarded to Neribri stud.
"While both ewes were very correct and tidy, the champion stood (and stands) so well that I couldn't look past her," he said.
"In terms of her being best of the breed, she just got my attention straight away - she grabs your eye."
p Wiltshire Horn
Three studs represented the Wiltshire Horn breed and it was the champion ram from the Marmik Estate Wiltshire Horn stud, Kelmscott, which was awarded the sash for the best of the breed.
The champion ribbon for the ewe went to a New Zealand-sired ewe from the Eaglenook stud, Keysbrook, while in reserve was a ewe from the Marmik Estate stud.
Judge Michael O'Neill said that as a breed designed for maximum production and multiples, the sheep presented at the judging the displayed all the right attributes for maximum fecundity.
p South Suffolk
The Windle Hill South Suffolk stud, Mt Barker, was the major broad ribbon winners during the South Suffolk judging.
It was the champion ewe which beat the champion ram for the best of the breed ribbon. The ewe was described by judge Denam Carter as being a ewe with exemplary style and structure.
Continuing its clean sweep of the ribbons, Windle Hill was awarded the reserve champion ewe ribbon and both the champion and reserve champion South Suffolk ram ribbons.