The association last week announced the winners following a seven day, nationwide judging tour of 32 flocks, each having either won a regional competition or been pre-selected by local judges to make it into the national competition.
Andrew Craw, one of three national judges, told Rural News that despite the recent drought the standard of sheep they saw was “as good or better” than in any of the three years he’s been involved.
“I can tell you, the South Island has absolutely no idea what a drought is compared with Hawkes Bay, yet the standard of sheep we saw in Hawkes Bay was absolutely fantastic.”
Craw was also struck by the productivity of the finalists’ flocks, many routinely getting 80-100% lambing from hoggets with ewes doing “mid-150s or early 160s. And it wasn’t just the composite flocks: we saw Romneys, Perendales, and crossbred flocks getting those levels of production.
Flock productivity accounts for 50 of the 100 points available in the judging process: 20 points are for phenotype and evenness of hoggets presented; 15 for wool quality; 15 for breeding objectives and selection criteria. A minimum of 200 hoggets must be yarded for judges to inspect.
“The last couple of years there’s been one flock that stood out as an absolute clear winner but this year there were three or four that could take the [overall] title,” says Craw.
Who, of the six breed winners, has landed that title will be announced May 29 at The Savoy, Dunedin. See: www.nzsheep.co.nz or tel 03 3589 412.
