A ram hailing from Tumby Bay was sashed the Eyre Peninsula champion ram of the year on Monday in a class of seven other stand out sheep.
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The 118 kilogram ram, bred by Collandra North's Sydney Lawrie, is sired by an Imperial 521 son, with figures of 21.5 for micron, 3.2 for standard deviation, 14.7 for coefficient of variation, 99.3 per cent for comfort factor, 44.1 millimetres for eye muscle depth and 12mm for fat depth.
Mr Lawrie said the ram had great carcase and depth of body with great balance.
"He went over to Hay, NSW, (Sheep Show) and won first in the strong wool two-tooth class," he said.
"To win in a really big class over there and come back and win EP ram of the year is fantastic.
"He'll go to Bendigo, Vic, (Australian Sheep and Wool Show) and be in the strong wool class there.
"We had a lot of success last year having the best short wool ram in basically Australia so hopefully we can do the same again this year."
The ram will be retained in the stud but semen will be available.
Judged by Richard Chalker, LachRiver Merinos, Darbys Falls, NSW, the competition was hotly contested, with little difference between the first and second place rams.
"I turned the first and second place rams to make it easier to judge, but it didn't make it easy," he said.
"It was just the structure, barrel and correctness of the first place ram that stood out to me.
"He had a good length of staple and good, locky wool.
"The White River ram was very good, it was just a bit shorter on the staple."
Mr Chalker said he looked forward to seeing the rams compete at Bendigo.
Second and third place on the day went to White River, with stud principal Wes Daniell saying he was pleased with the result.
"There was an excellent line up of rams today so we're really happy with second and third," he said.
"The second place ram was a very safe ram, he had beautiful nourishment with rich, white, crimpy wool."
Earlier on in the day, the inaugural unhoused champion ram of the year competition was also held, with Buckleboo stud Oakfarms picking up the top honour.
Stud principal Nick Lienert said the ram was out of his elite ewe mob and he had been keeping his eye on it for future stud duties.
"He's a paddock run, upstanding ram and, while still only a lamb, he's weighing 120kg," he said.
"He's a long staple, heavy wool cutting sheep with a big deep body and a square shape, who stands very well on his feet.
"If he continues on the journey he's on at the moment, we'll likely retain him in the stud as a stud sire."
Two Secret Rocks, Tumby Bay, rams finished in second and third place.
While only six rams were entered in the competition, Mr Chalker said it was an important part of the day.
"It's a great representation of sheep in their natural environment," he said.
"The winning ram had good lock structure, and had great softness.
"There was great depth throughout the competition and while the top ram stood out, it was hard the rest of the way through."
Katie Jackson
Journalist at Stock Journal. Born into a journo family in the state's South East, Katie made the move to the big smoke to join the team in early 2022 after seven years spent at various mastheads in the regions.
Journalist at Stock Journal. Born into a journo family in the state's South East, Katie made the move to the big smoke to join the team in early 2022 after seven years spent at various mastheads in the regions.
