Agriculture
18 September, 2023
Shows confirm super sheep consistency
TERRICK West Merino Stud has completed a unique trifecta at major shows by winning the champion and reserve champion March-shorn pairs at the Royal Adelaide Show last week. The quartet completed a hat-trick at the nation’s major competitions after...
TERRICK West Merino Stud has completed a unique trifecta at major shows by winning the champion and reserve champion March-shorn pairs at the Royal Adelaide Show last week.
The quartet completed a hat-trick at the nation’s major competitions after taking the same honours at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in July and last month’s National Merino Show in Dubbo.
“We knew they were pretty good pairs but you don’t know until standing up against others,” said stud co-principal Ross McGauchie.
“I’ve never heard of anything getting one-two at the three big national shows before.”
Ross said the trio of successes showed more depth andconsistency in breeding continued to improve the bloodline.
“As you get more depth through breeding ewes, there’s the sires to come over them,” he said.
The champion pair were brother and sister with Ross saying they had many similarities - structurally matched and with even wool.
Other ribbons awarded to the Prairie West stud at the nation’s last big show of year included champion March-shorn fine wool poll ram, later named reserve champion March-shorn poll ewe of the show, with third and fourth places also achieved in that section. Terrick West also took out the champion March-shorn medium wool poll ewe.
A first was also awarded in the white River Breeders Group for three sheep.
“When we saw these sheep walking through flood waters last October, who would have thought they would go on to have the success they have had,” Ross said.
Terrick West sold three rams at the auction immediately after the Royal Adelaide Show.
Top price was $9000 sold to Rhodes Pastoral in the south-west of Western Australia.
That stud had inspected rams at the Australian Sheep and Wool before winning the bid in Adelaide. It was the first time Rhodes Pastoral had purchased a Terrick West ram.
Two rams were sold for $8000
Terrick West was named the most successful poll Merino exhibitor at this year’s Royal Adelaide Show.