Andrew and Melinda White, Toongabbie, Moonie, have been crowned grand champion in the Prime Lamb competition for their pen of Dorper-cross lambs.
Mr White, who runs 450 Doper ewes on his property, said they were shocked by the win but very excited.
“Our agent asked us to enter the lambs, it wasn’t our idea, so I took lambs over to Warwick on a sale day and the agent pulled the ones out to go to Ekka,” he said.
Mr White said the lambs hadn’t been given any extra feed because of the dry season.
“We’re looking for rain, but we’re definitely not in drought like a lot of places,” he said.
“We grow SSS forage sorghum and it’s only stalks now, but there must be enough goodness in the stalk.
“That’s the only thing I can put it down to; we’ve got very little herbage.
“There is a little bit of clover but not enough to fatten sheep on and the bluegrass wouldn’t have any goodness in it so all I can put it down to is the forage.”
The White’s were also the grass fed champion.
Competition judge, Pat McMahon, Killarney, said it was great to see such quality in the competition this year.
“Especially with the challenging conditions, it was an excellent showing of lambs,” he said.
“The champion pen of lambs I thought were excellently coveraged with their fat colour, they had a great composition and for lambs as heavy as they were, they had superb fat coverage.”
Peter and Pene Hood, Pittsworth, were the reserve champions with their pen of Texele-cross lambs.
Mr Hood, who was also the chief steward, said the competition wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Greg Cary, Carey Bros Abattoir, who killed the lambs, and Ross Fraser, Frasers Transport, who transported the lambs from Warwick to the abattoir.