Australian Sheep and Wool Show to celebrate Polwarth centenary

The Polwarth Sheep Breeders Association of Australia, formed in Melbourne in 1919, will mark its 100th year at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show.

POLWARTH breeders will celebrate their centenary as the feature breed at this year’s Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo.

The Polwarth Sheep Breeders Association of Australia was formed in Melbourne in 1919 and is marking its 100th year at the show with an afternoon tea for members past and present to “catch up”.

The feature has attracted more sheep entries than last year, with 70 Polwarth sheep to be on show from South Australia, Victoria, King Island and Tasmania.

Kaye Potter, who is the association’s secretary, said it was worth celebrating a breed of sheep and an association with as long a history as the Polwarth breed.

“We didn’t want to have too many formalities but by being feature breed it gives everyone a chance to catch up,” she said.

With about 25 breeders spread across the country now, Mrs Potter said there were a lot more numbers once, but she wouldn’t be surprised if the breed was now having a bit of a resurgence.

“There has been some more activity lately and I think it is the dual-purpose benefit and the benefits the Polwarth could give to the commercial Merino breeder who could use Polwarth rams to lift fleece weight,” she said.

Kaye and husband Greg, along with their daughter, Samantha, run Fairview Polwarth stud at Yeo, and are taking a team of 20 Polwarths to this year’s show.

“The reason we like showing is it helps underpin our management practices,” Mrs Potter said.

“While meeting and showing against and with other breeders, you keep abreast of where the sheep industry is at any point in time, and it underpins our management at home and helps drive our improvement strategies.” For example, Mrs Potter said in recent years they had introduced electronic recording and they are the only Polwarth stud listed on MerinoSelect.

Fairview was registered in 2000 following the purchase of ewes and rams from the Sazli flock. Now running one of the largest Polwarth flocks in the country, the Potters have 350 stud ewes and 350 commercial ewes.

“We are looking to increase numbers gradually as time goes on. We recently invested in a stud from Tasmania — Rendlesham, which now goes by the name Rendlesham at Fairview — to expand our numbers and broaden our genetic base.”

Mrs Potter said they started breeding Polwarths initially for the family tradition, but then after they worked with them for a few years they were “particularly taken” with their wool for its long staple, soft, open and free-flowing fleece.

“It suits our higher rainfall of 900mm a year,” she said.

“Then there is the dual-purpose side.”

The commercial ewes are joined to White Suffolk and Southdown rams to produce a prime lamb — some of which are used in their own meat brand, Otway View Farm Foods.

Stud rams are sold privately, with rams selling to NSW, South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania last year.

Judging of the Polwarths will begin at 9am next Friday, July 19.

JUDGING PROGRAM

THURSDAY, JULY 18

12 noon – 6pm

Merino classification

FRIDAY, JULY 19

8.30am

Merino (all classes), Merino pairs (Victorian)

9am

White Dorper, Polwarth (feature breed), Romney

9.30am

Shropshire, White Suffolk

10am

Angora goats, Black and Coloured fleece, Dorset Downs, English Leicester

11am

Dorset Horn, Lincoln, South Suffolk

12 noon

National Corriedale pairs and schools competition

1pm

Drysdale, Hampshire Downs, Merino (all-purposes classes), Prime SAMM

1.30pm

Australian Whites

2pm

East Friesians, Perendale

3pm

Ryeland

5.30pm

Merino pairs evening function

SATURDAY, JULY 20

8.30am

Corriedale

9am

Aussie Downs, Black and Coloured sheep, Border Leicester, Merino group classes, Poll Dorset, Suffolk, Texel

10am

Dorper (black), Mohair fleece

11am

Cheviot

12 noon

Dohne

1pm

Merino (all-purpose classes final), Southdown, Wiltshire Horn

3pm

Wiltipoll

SUNDAY, JULY 21

8.30am

Corriedale junior judging

10am

ASSBA objective measurement, champion British-breeds group, Cashmere goats, Dohne, Interbreed classes, Merino junior judging

11am – 12.30pm

VAS junior judging state finals (fleece)

1pm

Schools interbreed

1.15pm

Schools interbreed group

1.30pm - 3pm

VAS junior judging state finals (meat breeds)