N.Z. Wool Fares Well

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30823, 7 August 1965, Page 9

N.Z. Wool Fares Well

A Mid-Canterbury Corriedale breeder, Mr Robert Robinson, of Coniston near Ashburton, fared well against Australian breeders in the international Corriedale fleece competition held in conjunction with the World Corriedale Conference just concluded in Melbourne.

Mr Robinson had five full fleeces and four entries of lambs’ wool in the competition—the lambs’ wool was judged on l|lb samples. Only one other New Zealand Corriedale breeder had an entry in the competition. He was Mr Roger W. Ensor, of Mandalea, Fernside, and he was second to Mr Robinson in the class for New Zealand adult ram fleeces. As the only entrant in most New Zealand classes Mr Robinson naturally took the top honours and was awarded the New Zealand ewe and ram fleece championships—for the ram championship he received a handsome silver jug and for the ewe championship a silver tray. But what pleased Mr Robinson most was the high placings that his wool gained in international competition against wool from mainly Australia but also South America and South Africa. For instance, out of 45 entries altogether of lambs’ wool one of his entries, which was third, was only one point and a half behind the champion, and another of his entries was fourth equal. Altogether there were 50 entries of ewe hogget fleeces and Mr Robinson was fourth equal, and when ewe and ewe hogget fleeces were grouped together he was ninth equal out of 135 entries. Again out of 31 entries of

ram hogget fleeces one of Mr Robinson’s entries was fifth. Mr Robinson said this week that one of the judges and also Australian breeders had commented to him on the standard of his wool when it was realised that New Zealand sheep also had good carcases. They had come to the conclusion that New Zealand had Corriedale wool that was comparable with Australian wool, and it was his own impression that under comparable environmental conditions New Zealand wool would be a match for Australian wool.

The judge had told him that he had skirted his wool rather too heavily for Australian competitions. For style, character, yield and handle it had been described as being above average, but was inferior to Australian wool for colour.

Mr Robinson farms 300 acres on the outskirts of Ashburton and harvests about 120 acres of grass seed, white clover, wheat and sometimes barley annually. All of his sheep are studs. He has 450 ewes and 150 ewe hoggets and 150 ram hoggets. Around about eight years ago he began fleece weighing and also weighing of lambs for weight gain—the fleece weighing being done in association with the Department of Agriculture and the weighing of lambs with the Ashburton Veterinary Club in association with the Sheep and Beef Cattle Survey of the Meat and Wool Boards.

Mr Robinson is conscious of the help that he has received from the sheep and wool instructors of the department. and in particular Mr L. Galloway, and from the veterinary club.

All ewe and ram lambs are shorn when about five months of age in February and the ram hoggets are shorn again

in early August and the ewe hoggets in November. An endeavour is made to run all the hoggets on a similar plane of nutrition between the two shearings and it is at the latter shearing that the weight measurements are taken. The fleeces are also graded with account being taken of yield, handle, count and style. Mr Robinson believes that the early shearing of these sheep and removal of the hogget tip before they are assessed means that the wool is more exposed to the rigors of the climate during the winter and faults can be more readily picked An innovation this year is an inspection of the hoggets before shearing for belly and britch wool so that further faults' may be revealed if they are present.

Lambs are weighed at birth and again at weaning. Mr Robinson has had the lambs weighed more often, but he feels that the most profitable lamb is that which goes off the mother and that the present routine is satisfactory in indicating sheep and families that mature quickest and make the best weight gains. Mr Robinson is not one to place special emphasis on either wool weights or weight gain. He says that as a dualpurpose breed account had to had to be taken of all factors in the Corriedale, although this did mean that perhaps progress was rather slower to make. Thus initially when he is selecting a new ram for the flock it has to be a showy stylish sheep—breed type is the primary consideration. But having then selected a group of sheep of desirable breed type he reviews their family record for wool weight and grading and weight gain allowing him to pick out the best potential performers.