THE stranglehold of the Texel breed on the IGA Perth Royal Show prime lamb carcase competition was broken this year when White Dorper lamb carcases took out two of the three major awards.
The champion lamb carcase and the champion pen of three lambs were both exhibited by Culham Grazing, Toodyay.
In total this year 33 teams (99 lambs) were entered in four classes - lightweight (18-21kg cwt, 6-15mm fat depth) open; lightweight (18-21kg, 6-15mm fat depth) from Merino dam; heavyweight (21.1-24kg cwt, 6-15mm fat depth) open and heavyweight (21.1-24kg plus cwt, 6-15mm fat depth) from Merino dam.
The champion carcase came from the Toodyay operation's champion pen of three carcases which won the open lightweight class.
The carcase weighed 20.60kg and had a GR fat measurement of 11mm.
The success in the competition was a big surprise to Culham's Kevin and Robin Yost and Debbie Ferguson, who only entered the competition for the first time last year.
It was not only the champion carcase ribbon which headed to Toodyay, the operation also exhibited the champion pen of three lambs on the hook, with a group of three pure White Dorper lambs.
The lambs had an average carcase weight of 20.3kg and average GR fat of 10.3mm.
The group of three carcases came from the lightweight open class, after winning the class with a points score of 81.7, 5.2 points ahead of its nearest rival.
The group of three carcases also won the award for the best pen of three lightweight carcases.
Mr Yost said all the lambs were April drops and weaned straight off their mothers for the competition.
"They are pure White Dorpers sired by rams we have bred ourselves based on Riverside White Dorper bloodlines," he said.
Taking home the champion ribbon for the best lamb carcase out of a Merino dam was the WA College of Agriculture, Narrogin's Collegian Suffolk stud.
The carcase was from one of the College's lightweight teams for a group of three lambs from a Merino dam.
The lamb, which was an early June drop, was sired by a Collegian Suffolk sire.
The carcase weighed 20.90kg and had a GR fat of 10mm.
In the lightweight open class for a group of three lambs 18-21kg carcase weight it was Culham Grazing, which took home the first-placed blue ribbon, with its champion group.
Second place in the class went to a pen of three pure White Suffolk lambs from Lockridge Senior High School, Kiara White Suffolk stud.
The Lockridge team finished on 75.3 points, with the carcases having an average weight of 19.75kg and an average fat of 11.7mm.
Rob and Maria Wood, Te Rakau Texel stud, Bindi Bindi, finished third with a team of pure Texel lambs, which scored 73.2 points and had an average carcase weight of 20.3 and an average fat of 12.3mm.
First place in the lightweight class for lambs out of a Merino dam was awarded to a team of three Poll Dorset-Merino lamb carcases exhibited by the Squiers family, Shirlee Downs stud, Quairading.
This group had a total score of 72.8 with an average weight of 19.27kg and an average fat of 12mm.
Two teams finished in equal second on 66.3 points and they were exhibited by the Glover family, JimJan Texel stud, Boyup Brook and Rob and Maria Wood, Te Rakau Texels.
Both groups were sired by Texel sires, with the Glover's team averaging 20.07kg and a GR fat of 11.33mm, while the Woods team averaged 18.9kg carcase weight and 9.66mm fat.
Third in the class went to a Prime SAMM-Merino group from the Squiers family, which finished on 63.7 points and averaged 20.75kg carcase weight and 9.67mm fat.
The success of the Squiers family continued in the heavyweight classes when teams from the stud won both the open and Merino dam class.
The operation's winning pen in the heavyweight open class, was by one of their own Poll Dorset sires and out of Prime SAMM-Merino cross ewe, based on their own Prime SAMM bloodlines.
The lambs were all May drop.
The three carcases scored 76.5 points which also helped to win the award for the best pen of three heavyweight lambs.
The group had an average carcase weight of 23.2kg and an average GR fat of 11mm.
Second in the heavyweight open class went to a group of three pure Texel carcases exhibited by Rob and Maria Wood, which finished on 68.2 points.
The carcases averaged 22.43kg and 12.3mm GR fat.
Third place went to a team of White Dorper lambs exhibited by Culham Grazing, Toodyay, on 66.2 points. These averaged 23.67kg carcase weight and 11.7mm GR fat.
In the heavyweight class for lambs out of a Merino dam the winning group from the Squiers family was sired by their Poll Dorset sires and finished on a score of 64.5 points.
The group had an average carcase weight of 22.68kg and an average GR fat of 14mm.
Second place in the class went to a team from the Glover family.
The group was sired by JimJan Texels and scored 53.2 points and had an average weight of 22.33kg and average GR fat 15.3mm.
The third-placed team was also exhibited by Squiers family, when a group of their Prime SAMM-Merino cross lambs finished on 49.3 points.
The group averaged 22.61kg and 14.3mm GR fat.
Winning three out of the four group classes as well as collecting two third places, meant the Squiers family, who had 24 lambs (eight teams), also took home the award for the exhibitor gaining the most points in the competition.
