CENTRAL Victorian stud Booloola has dominated the White Suffolk judging at the Bendigo Elite White Suffolk and Suffolk Show.
Vying for the supreme exhibit ribbon was two Booloola entries, but the June 2015-drop ram edged ahead to be sashed winner.
The show-topping ram was by ram Booloola 120162 that was sold to a syndicate of three studs (two from Western Australia that shared the ram and one from South Australia that had semen rights) for $10,000 in 2013.
Co-principal Shane Baker said that ram was bred terrifically for the Baringhup-based stud.
The supreme exhibit was out of a ewe purchased at the Burwood dispersal. The winning ram had LambPlan ASBVs of post-weaning weight 18.1 (Pwwt), post-weaning fat (Pfat) -0.9, and post-weaning eye muscle depth (Pemd) 0.8. It weighed 145kg and scanned 11mm fat and 52mm muscle.
Mr Baker said it was the first time the family had won supreme exhibit of the Elite show. The ram will be offered for sale tomorrow and has been moved to Lot 1 in recognition of its show performance.
The ram came second in the June class at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show (ASWS), Bendigo, and won its class at Sheepvention, Hamilton.
“He’s a terrific White Suffolk type and a large carcase animal that carries meat throughout its carcase.”
Mr Baker said the ram was the heaviest sheep at the stud at weaning, post-weaning and at 12 months old.
The Booloola entry that topped the ewes was from a different line, but as with its stable mate improved it performance from reserve champion ewe at ASWS and champion ewe at Sheepvention.
The August 2015-drop ewe came through the junior classes. Its ASBVs included Pwwt 16.4, Pfat -0.6 and Pemd 1.7, and it measured 97kg, 10mm fat, 46mm muscle.
Mr Baker said they planned to embryo flush her because as well as her show wins, she is also from the strongest female family at the stud.
He said she was a very well-balanced ewe, true to type and with a “terrific hindquarter in a young ewe”.
The Booloola ewe that won senior champion ewe also had a completely different pedigree.
The Baker family bought eight Booloola sheep, two Loddon Park sheep (from the daughter’s stud) and two from Ashbourne stud, Western Australia.
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