2018 Wagin Woolorama

Seymour Park and Rangeview Poll champions

Thursday 15^th March 2018 – Excerpt from Article written by Jodie Rintoul, Farm Weekly

It was a classy ram from the Seymour Park stud, Highbury, and an upstanding ewe from the King family’s Rangeview stud, Darkan, which shone through and took top honours in the Poll Merino judging at this year’s Make Smoking History Wagin Woolorama.

With an impressive line-up of Poll Merinos in the shed it wasn’t an easy task for judges to find their standout exhibits but they settled on the Seymour Park ram and Rangeview ewe for their grand champions due to size and wool qualities.

The fine/medium wool Seymour Park sire caught the eye of the judges early with its size, depth of body and pure white wool.

When it was finally sashed the grand champion Poll Merino ram judge John Croake, Australian Wool Network, Tamworth, New South Wales, said it was a unanimous winner and picked itself.

“He has outstanding depth of body, is very square and has a good poll,” Mr Croake said.

“He also has a very long-stapled, pure, white wool which he carries right down to his underline. The crimp in his wool is outstanding and it doesn’t change from the top to the bottom.”

The long-stapled sire earned the right to compete in the grand championship after it won its class for four tooth and over fine/medium wool Poll Merino rams in front of seven other rams and was sashed the champion fine/medium wool Poll Merino ram.

At this point judge Wayne Lehmann, Flairdale Poll Merino stud, Tailem Bend, South Australia, said the ram was an upstanding, wide sire with a good deep barrel.

“He also has a lovely fine/medium wool which is very even all over,” Mr Lehmann said. “He is going to be a really heavy cutter.”

The upstanding four-tooth exhibit is by Seymour Park George.

The Blight family’s Seymour Park stud went home with the reserve grand champion Poll Merino ewe ribbon, when a classy fine/medium woo ewe from the stud received the ribbon.

Mr Croake said the Seymour Park ewe was a top exhibit with a sweet skin and a well-nourished quality wool.

“Not only does her wool have good nourishment, it also displays a beautiful crimp and style,” Mr Croake said. “In addition to her wool qualities she also is very correct and very feminine like a ewe should be.”

The ewe’s initial success came when it won the two-tooth fine/medium wool Poll Merino ewe class, before it went on to be sashed the champion fine/medium wool Poll Merino ewe.

Seymour Park exhibited both the champion fine/medium wool ram and ewe and both went on to win ribbons in the grand champion line-up

The Seymour Park stud also tasted success in the medium wool ewe classes exhibiting the champion medium wool Poll Merino ewe.

Judge Wayne Button, Manunda stud, Tammin, said the champion ewe was a well put-together two-tooth ewe with a good spring of rib.

“She also has a long-stapled white wool which maintains its quality all over and plenty of wool cutting potential,” Mr Button said.

The reserve champion strong wool ewe ribbon went to the Seymour Park stud for a four-tooth ewe which had good size and structure but not quite the finish in the wool as the champion.

Photos courtesy of Farm Weekly