EXHIBITOR Chris Clonan, Alfoxton Merino stud, Armidale had a hard enough time juggling his 12 exhibits at the State Sheep Show let alone the armfuls of ribbons and prizes he took home with him.
After missing last year’s event Mr Clonan made up for his absence in Charleville taking out all four grand champions and three supreme exhibit titles.
Of their seven ram and five ewe entries, Alfoxtan claimed the grand champion Merino ram, Merino ewe, Poll Merino ram and Poll Merino ewe along with the supreme Poll, supreme Merino exhibit and supreme exhibit of the show.
Alfoxton won the supreme exhibit of the show title during their last appearance at Goondiwindi in 2015 with Alfoxton Samson who went on to sell for $28,000 to a Tasmanian syndicate at Bendigo.
Mr Clonan retained semen in the Poll ram with six of his 12 exhibits sired by the ram, including the supreme exhibit of the show and grand champion poll ewe who were ET brother and sister out of an East Strathglen ewe.
Artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfers (ET) are a major part of Alfoxton with 300 poll ewes and 300 horned ewes in their operation.
Mr Clonan said Samson genetics had proved the difference on the day.
“It just worked with that ewe,” he said.
“That’s the beauty of ET, if it works you have a big pay out. If it doesn’t work, it’s a disaster.”
It was just the second show for the Alfoxton Poll ram who claimed the top honours as supreme exhibit, something that Mr Clonan didn’t expect.
“Showing is a bit like that, you have good days and bad days,” he said.
“This show is very much like Sydney where a ram I thought would do really well got beaten in the class and that’s what happened here.
“Our medium wool, I thought he would have been our best chance for supreme exhibit.
“The ram that we have won supreme exhibit with, I took him to Canberra (in January)...and I think he only placed.
“It just goes to show how sheep can develop.”
The judges said it was the depth in the whole Alfoxton team they admired most.
The Alfoxton Merino show team will now head to Dubbo and Bendigo where rams will be available for sale.
Lucy Kinbacher
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
