Agriculture
22 July, 2023
Weekend to remember: Nationals pairs double again
CONSISTENCY has seen Terrick West Poll Merino Stud dominate the national March-shorn pairs competition at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show for a second year. The Prairie West stud won both champion and reserve champion sashes to hang besides last...
CONSISTENCY has seen Terrick West Poll Merino Stud dominate the national March-shorn pairs competition at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show for a second year.
The Prairie West stud won both champion and reserve champion sashes to hang besides last year’s success in the competition.
“The secret of (winning) pairs is to have consistency,” said stud principal Ross McGauchie.
“You can have the best ram and ewe but they can be different types of sheep.
“We have really got set now the type of sheep we breed, especially the folds, after moving from the horned over the last 10 to 15 years.”
Championship judge Mitch Hogg said the Prairie West winners “were so similar it’s not funny ... they were a true pair that were matched very well.
“They have well-nourished, heavy-cutting white wool, and their constitution is flawless,” Mr Hogg said.
The winning pair shared the same sire and Clairie McGauchie said: “We had two very good, but different, pairs to enter this year.” She said characteristics on show in the successful combinations included thicker, richer and subtle wool, big carcass and a bolder crimp.
Terrick West also won the champion Victorian-bred ram fine/medium and ewe strong wool, champion Marchd-shorn strong wool poll ewe, junior champion strong wool ewe, March-shorn ewe showing no permanent teeth and March-shorn ewe showing not more than two permanent teeth.
Mr McGauchie said the March-shorn champion and reserve champion pairs were by a group of three rams that were “as good as we’ve ever bred” that they never got a chance to show after COVID cancelled the 2020 show.
The winning rams will be offered for sale at the Adelaide auction in September.
Mr McGauchie has been part of the Australian Stud Breeders’ Association committee since the show moved to Bendigo more than 20 years ago, including two stints as president.
At the weekend, he was named one of two new association life members.