Strong wool ewe claims rare victory at Queensland Sheep Show

Last year they won the top accolade with a junior medium wool poll Merino ram, but this year at Blackall they claimed the honour with their strong wool poll Merino ewe.

"We won last year at Charleville, but this was very special - it's very rare for a ewe to win," Mr Crook said. "We thought she was special but you never know how special until you come to something like this."

He said that as well as being a big ewe with really long, lustrous wool, she was well covered and a very calm sheep.

The four-tooth two-year-old ewe has a 21 micron fleece and according to Mr Crook, her comfort factor and standard deviation figures are excellent for a strong wool sheep.

After winning the strong wool poll ewe class she went on to be champion poll ewe and then beat the stud's own fine wool poll ram to claim the poll Merino grand championship, and then went up against a Mount Ascot Merino ram for the supreme exhibit trophy.

Victorian judges Warren Russell, from Melrose Merinos, Nurrabiel, and Daniel Rogers, Mt Yulong Poll Merinos, Telangatuk East, had 63 stud sheep to judge, from Coban Merinos at Cunnamulla, Victoria Downs Merino and poll Merinos at Morven, Jolly Jumbuck poll Merinos from Mitchell, Roselea Merino and poll Merinos from Muckadilla, Wilgunyah Merino and poll Merinos from Dirranbandi, as well as from Mt Ascot and Tamaleuca.

Queensland Merino Stud Sheepbreeders Association president Benn Wilson said it had been a fantastic show, with close to 70 sheep in the shed.

"When we come this far north we sort of lose a couple of our interstate competitors, but we had Tamaleuca come up from Victoria, which was very good of them," he said.

Judge Warren Russell said the supreme exhibit from Tamaleuca Poll Merinos was a tremendous ewe.

"She has tremendous scale, quality of wool, bulk and density," he said.

"She has terrific structure.

"I think she's a ewe that's going to continue to improve and come Bendigo I think it would be pretty surprising if she's not in the hunt for supreme there.

Supreme Merino exhibit went to a September drop two-tooth ram from Mt Ascot Merinos that also claimed champion fine wool ram, junior champion ram, Queensland junior ram of the year and Queensland ram of the year.

Mr Russell described Mt Ascot's 16-micron champion ram as "long-bodied, long-stapled with tremendous bone".

"I think he'll look pretty good too come Bendigo, he'll continue to fill out more and continue to develop," he said.

"He's a really good Queensland type - stretchy, tall, will be able to walk miles with a good white wool on him, he's going to be hard to fault."

Mt Ascot stud principal Nigel Brumpton said the 135kg ram came out of one of their embryo transfer ewes that had also bred some previous ram of the year winners.

"It's good to see the genetics coming through... the make and the shape and the growth rates in that family are phenomenal and that's what we're really trying to push along and get the dual purpose ability," he said. "One of his pen mates also went on to win the supreme dual purpose Merino."

Mr Brumpton said the ram would compete at the Mitchell and Charleville shows this week and after a break would go to compete at Bendigo.

Mr Russell also praised the overall quality of exhibits.

"It was a real credit to Queensland Merino Stud Sheepbreeders Association to have such quality animals and make it difficult for the judges in many of the classes," he said.