Ewe hogget finalists put judges under the pump
All but one of the 11 finalists for the New Zealand ewe hogget competition are from the South Island with more than half from Central Otago.
Judges faced a daunting task of whittling their way through 250 entries and 150,000 ewe hoggets spread throughout the country to find the finalists. The winners of what is regarded as the country’s premier sheep competition will be named at an awards evening in Cromwell on June 8.
National convenor Stephen Rabbidge said heavy rain, flooding and facial eczema outbreaks had led to fewer entries from the North Island than expected. He said it was not logistically possible to hold the awards in Napier, so organisers decided it was prudent to move the event to Cromwell instead. ’’It has been a very strong season for Central Otago sheep farms, which were well represented by the quality of stock we saw. It’s also about good feeding and good breeding. Climate doesn’t make an ordinary flock of hoggets a great flock of hoggets. You still need extremely sound farming practices to get these hoggets through to this standard.’’
The judges of Adrian Arnold (Napier), Blair Robertson (Gore) and Andrew Craw (Banks Peninsula) travel on average 4000 kilometres in seven days to inspect each flock. They spend one hour on each property to assess the flocks and interview contestants about their business decisions to identify the most productive and profitable flock replacements. Usually there are three or four flocks that stand out, ‘‘but this year there was probably eight or nine that could easily be national winners,’’ said Rabbidge.
The finalists are: Coopworth : T&R Whitford (Tuakau), M Evans (Poolburn). Composite: M&D Power (Ettrick), J&S Andrews (Waipiata). Crossbreed: Withell Family (Leeston), S&A Paterson (Ranfurly). Perendale: M Mcelrea (Edievale). Romney: A Denham (Palmerston), R&M Power (Hawarden). Fine Wool: J&J Irvine (Hyde), S&A Paterson (Ranfurly).