While he didn't return home with any broad ribbons, western NSW superfine poll Merino breeder Michael Evans said he was pleased he'd taken the opportunity of Queensland's state sheep show being at Charleville, to make the trip up and back.
While he hasn't shown sheep in Queensland before, his Tambua poll Merino stud, based at Cobar, has been travelling north to buy sires from the Jolly Jumbuck poll stud at Mitchell.
"This is as close to home as the (Queensland) show gets so we thought we'd have the opportunity to come up and have the experience," Mr Evans said. "It just worked in well."
He brought six sheep - four fine wool ewes and two fine wool rams - from his August-shorn team up for competition, and said while they had won a couple of firsts and seconds, it was the conversation with people that had been most rewarding.
Many of the comments revolved around the stud's superfine wool, which isn't often seen in Queensland.
"People said, beautiful wool, we don't see that around here," Mr Evans said, adding that the wool type had probably presented poll Merino judge Rick Keogh with a challenge, comparing it to the more traditional fine wool sheep standing beside his.
"Some of the ewes, when they go to the bigger shows, they go into the superfine classes," he said.
"We're right on that fine end, for up here - this is more of a medium, strong wool area.
"The fine wool class here, I'm on the fine, fine end so it makes them hard to judge."
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Mr Evans said he'd made the decision to breed wool from the finer end of the spectrum partly because his rainfall average was tending to drier, and because of government red tape regulations around land clearing and improvement.
"The country's not carrying the heavy wool anymore, so we made the decision - instead of cutting 10 kilos of wool, we'd try and cut eight, but increase the value by making it finer," he said.
"We've added an extra 200 to 300 cents a kilo by doing that, improving the comfort factor - we're doing it that way."
He said he'd sold one bale of super AAAA wool.
"That probably doesn't happen in the western division of NSW much," he said.
As far as showing in Queensland again, Mr Evans said he was keen to support the idea of showing sheep.
"It was just a tick over 700km to Charleville - when the show's in the lower end of Queensland, we might be back," he said.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
