DARKAN'S King family are kings of the Perth Royal Show's wool section for a second year in a row, with a ram fleece from their Rangeview Merino and Poll Merino stud declared this year's Supreme fleece.
Chief judge Tim Chapman, Primaries of WA, and judges Carl Poingdestre, Dyson Jones Wool Marketing Services and Cameron Henry and Matthew Chambers, Landmark, unanimously agreed at a final appraisal Monday, the showy, bright white very evenly crimped fleece was the best of six contenders.
Earlier, the judging panel, which also included Elders Wool representatives Alice Wilsden and Tony Alosi, awarded the 8.72 kilogram Rangeview fleece 95 points out of a possible 100.
Again like last year, Rangeview's Supreme fleece, which was entered as Class Three Fine Wool in the Open Merino Ram section of the fleece competition, pipped a fleece from the Glover family's Mallibee Merino and Poll Merino Fine Wool stud, Wannamal, by a point.
The Mallibee fleece was also entered in the Open Merino Ram section.
Unaware of where the fleeces come from until after their final decision is made, the judges appraised the Rangeview fleece to be more even and it had slightly higher yield.
The Supreme fleece tested at 20.7 microns with a standard deviation of diameter of just 1.3 per cent and a coefficient of variation of diameter (CVD) of 13.5pc, indicating how even it was.
A show fleece, it had a staple length of 140 millimetres, staple strength of 48N/kt and a washing yield of 82.2pc.
In their final appraisal the judges noted how soft to the touch the fleece was.
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