Hillden Poll Dorset stud: Frost children have success at Australian Sheep and Wool Show

Winning was a family affair for the Frost family, with the fifth and sixth generations exhibiting at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show.

The biggest team of Poll Dorsets at this year’s feature breed at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show also had some of the youngest members.

And a round trip of more than 1200km was never going to stop James Frost from Hillden Poll Dorsets at Crookwell, NSW, from making the drive assisted by his children Alice, 11, Harry, 9, and Edie, 5.

The Poll Dorset stud, established in 1969, has been coming to the world’s biggest sheep show since the early 2000s, and the Frost family was keen to put the team of 22 rams and ewes up against the nation’s best.

“We generally only bring rams but felt it was important to bring ewes this year too as it is the feature breed,” Mr Frost said.

“It is a prestigious show to be part of and to gain a place ribbon is something but to get a champion is a huge honour.”

James Frost from Hillden Poll Dorsets with his kids Alice, 11, Edie, 5, and Harry, 9, and a three-month-old lamb. Picture: Zoe Phillips

They had a good show, winning the junior champion ram and the group of one ram and two ewes as well as placings in classes.

The Frosts run about 700 stud ewes alongside a commercial operation where their Poll Dorset rams are joined with a flock of about 3500 first cross ewes.

It allows them to road test their own genetics in what Mr Frost said is the best path to high quality prime lambs.

“The butchers and abattoirs show that they have a preference for a second cross lamb (Poll Dorset over Border Leicester-Merino ewe) because of the consistency of the carcass,” Mr Frost said.

“There is a of competition from other breeds but the feedback we get is that the consistency of Poll Dorset-sired lambs, whether over a first cross ewe or a Merino, means the buyers want them.”

He said while self-replacing breeds like composites were gaining popularity, it was important to understand that in this system, the retention of ewe lambs had an impact on cash flow.

“You lose income from those ewe lambs you retain into you flock and so it can be cheaper to just buy in first cross ewes and join them to a terminal rather than thinking you need to breed your own,” he said.

Mr Frost said the ability for the Poll Dorset-sired lamb to “fit any market”, whether that was a sucker or a heavy export grade, meant their popularity had stayed strong.

And he was optimistic about this year’s ram selling season, despite the check in lamb prices.

“There are still a lot of breeding ewes around and while the lower lamb prices will make a difference, producers will still need rams.”