A POLL Merino ram and a Merino ewe were standout performers in this year's Elanco PROram and PROewe awards at the Rabobank WA Sheep Expo & Ram Sale at Katanning.
This year the competition, which goes a long way to recognising the animals with the best production traits and the best profitability, attracted seven entries - three rams and four ewes.
To find the eventual winner the entries were first judged in the wool by Gavin Norrish, Angenup stud, Kojonup, before being shorn by Mark Buscumb, Crackers Contracting, Quindanning.
Once out of the wool, the entries were again judged by Mr Norrish and weighed while Elders, district wool manager Travis King evaluated the fleeces based on current market prices, fleece test results and fleece weight.
Finally after all the numbers were crunched it was the Blight family's Seymour Park stud, Highbury, which came out on top and won the PROram title, while the Crosby family's St Quentin stud, Nyabing, finished on top in the PROewe for the second year running.
The Seymour Park Poll Merino sire was a clear winner when it finished on 613.75 points out of a possible 650, which placed it a massive 90 points ahead of the second placed ram entered by the St Quentin stud.
Mr Norrish said the Seymour Park ram was a standout in the competition and a deserving winner.
"He ticks all the boxes when it comes to the judging in terms of bodyweight, fleece weight and quality," Mr Norrish said.
"He has a great body and had a big wool cut.
"He is a very sound ram and is good on its feet and legs."
In the judging Mr Norrish awarded it 52 points out of 60 for wool quality and coverage, 35 out of 40 for its constitution/conformation in the wool and 40 out of 50 for its constitution/conformation once shorn.
When weighed, the Seymour Park ram was 139 kilograms, the heaviest in the competition, which helped it achieve the maximum 100 points for this section and this helped set up its win.
On the wool side its fleece tested 21.0 micron, 3.2 SD, 15.1 CV, 98.7 per cent comfort factor (CF), 82.8pc yield and 45N/kt staple strength, while it weighed 17.2kg, the heaviest of the three entries and at these figures it scored 136.75 points out of 150 for the objective wool measurements.
In terms of fleece value the Seymour Park ram again scored the maximum 250 points after it's fleece was valued at $173.75, the highest in the competition.
The ram is AI-bred by Greenfields Caesar and out of a Seymour Park George blood ewe, which had been shown previously by the stud.
The 122.5kg St Quentin Poll Merino ram, which was the second heaviest, scored 523.75 points.
It received 92 points for bodyweight, 46 for wool quality and coverage, 30 for constitution/conformation in the wool and 38 for constitution/conformation out of the wool.
On the wool side it scored 147.75 for its objective wool measurements and 170 points for fleece value after its 14.5kg fleece was valued at $133.23.
The fleece had measurements of 21.9 micron, 3.3 SD, 14.9 CV, 99.1pc CF and 58N/kt staple strength.
The St Quentin ram is ET-bred by Manunda 160731.
Third in the class went to a 108kg Poll Merino sire from the Rangeview stud, Darkan, that scored 505.5 points.
Out of the three rams it scored the highest points for the objective wool measurements section when it finished on 149.5.
The fleece off the Rangeview ram weighed 14.2kg and tested at 19.5 micron, 2.8 SD, 14.5 CV, 99.8pc CF, 58N/kt staple strength and 60.9pc yield.
In terms of value, the fleece was worth $130.23 and for this section it scored 164 points.
In the PROewe competition a smaller margin of 23.75 points separated first and second.
Taking top honours was a Merino ewe from the St Quentin stud when it scored 617.75 points out of the possible 650 on offer.
Mr Norrish said the St Quentin ewe was a good all round ewe.
"She has a great make and shape plus a bulky, well-testing wool," Mr Norrish said.
The St Quentin ewe scored the maximum 100 points for bodyweight when it tipped the scales at 95.5kg and the maximum 250 points for fleece value with its fleece valued at $175.72.
The 10.4kg fleece measured 16.9 micron, 2.2 SD, 12.9 CV, 99.8pc CF and 49N/kt staple strength.
In the other sections it scored 144.75 out of 150 for objective wool measurements, the second highest of the four ewes entered as well as 46 out of 60 for wool quality and coverage, 37 out of 40 for constitution/conformation in the wool and 40 out of 50 for constitution/conformation out of the wool.
The ewe had already been sashed the reserve grand champion August shorn Merino ewe in the show.
The ewe is ET-bred by White River 1749 and out of St Quentin 351, which was part of the stud's pair which won the national title at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show, Bendigo, Victoria, in 2017.
Second and third places in the PROewe competition went to exhibits from the Campbell family's Coromandel stud, Gairdner.
The stud's second placed, ewe which had already been sashed the grand champion August shorn Poll Merino ewe of the show finished on 594 points.
This ewe weighed 91kg and had a fleece weight of 10.9kg.
The fleece measured 18.6 micron, 2.6 SD, 13.7 CV, 100pc CF and 59N/kt staple strength, while it was valued at $158.81 and at these numbers it scored the maximum 150 points for objective wool measurements and 216 out of 250 for fleece value.
Coromandel's third placed ewe finished with an overall score of 566.25.
It also had a bodyweight of 91kg while its fleece weighed 13.9kg and was valued at $164.36, which was the second highest in the ewe competition resulting in it being awarded 228 out of 250 points for the fleece value category.
The fleece had test figures of 19.2 micron, 3.8 SD, 19.7 CV, 98.5pc CF and 42N/kt staple strength which helped it achieve 116.25 points for the objective wool measurements section.
Both the Coromandel ewes were ET-bred, the second placed ewe is by Yarrawonga 961 and out of Coromandel 119 (daughter of Coromandel Big Joe 78), while the third placed ewe is by Nerstane Derek 22 and out of Coromandel 5 (daughter of Yarrawonga 961), which was part of the stud's pair which was runner-up in the national pair competition at the 2019 Australian Sheep & Wool Show.
