Hogget competition tradition still going strong

While the number of hogget competitions has decreased as years go by, there are still several ag bureaus running successful events.

The Monarto Ag Bureau hogget competition has been running for more than four decades.

While there was some SAMM and Dohne judging included in the mix acrossr the years, the present competition focuses on Poll Merinos and Merinos.

Competition co-organiser, and Callington Merino breeder, Judy Paech said the Monarto event had about 10 participants each year, with up to 60 people flocking to the judging night in March each year.

She said the competition had been running for more than four decades, with bragging rights the main award.

"It's a chance to show off sheep, get bragging rights and an incentive for people to keep improving flocks," Mrs Paech said.

"It's a chance to compare genetics.

"If you end up near the bottom all the time, you might want to review your genetics.

"If you win all the time, it's confirmation that you're doing a good job but can also help you find areas to improve on.

"It's also a great social event. Event though we have 10 entrants, we usually end up with 50 or 60 people on the night who come out to have a look, a chat and a barbecue tea in between judging."

Awards are given for the best pen of four ewe hoggets, and best individual ewe, based on judging of wool and carcase traits.

"The idea of the pen of four is that it would be representative of the participant's flock," Mrs Paech said.

"Everyone has got a you-beaut stand out sheep, so that is why we have the single ewe judging."

A wether lamb competition is run in conjunction, with entrants choosing a woolly wether lamb from their flock in September, which are then shorn and weighed on the same day, before being run on the same farm for six months prior to judging.

"They have the same feed regime, the same climate, the same water," Mrs Paech said.

"The only thing that would be different is the genetics behind the sheep.

"We shear them, weigh the fleeces, get a mid-side sample and micron results back, and also get a carcase value."

Mrs Paech said the proceeds from the sale of the carcases were donated to worthy causes, such as Beyond Blue and local show societies.

"It's a good fundraiser, but also interesting to compare genetics given they've been run on the same farm," she said.

Another long-standing hogget competition, which serves as both a social get-together and sheep genetics comparison day, is the Charra and Goode event on the western Eyre Peninsula.

Local stud breeder Warren Beattie, Mallee Hill, Ceduna, said the competition had been running for several decades.

"We generally have 10-12 participants, but this year it was only about seven after missing some competitions due to COVID," he said.

"There's also a few farmers going into shedding sheep, which is a sign of the times."

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The ewe hoggets are shorn, the value of their fleece and carcases assessed, with the winner the overall leader, when accounting for both meat and wool traits.

Prizes are also awarded for best fleece and best carcase.

There are classes for hoggets under 12 months of age and older than 12 months of age.

"It's a good get together and the first event held after seeding," Mr Beattie said.

"It's good to catch up with other farmers after getting the crop in to have a chat about how everything went and what their plans are for the rest of the year.

"It's also a good opportunity to look at other people's sheep and see what bloodlines are doing well."