Williams stud wins supreme fleece
Winning the supreme fleece title at this year's IGA Perth Royal Show was a real thrill for the Rintoul family, of Auburn Valley Merino and Poll Merino stud, Williams.
"Showing fleeces is a tradition which goes back to my grandfather, Henry James Rintoul, who established our Merino stud in 1907," Peter Rintoul said. "Mixing it up with other competitors is also a chance to compare breeding progress and can be used as a promotional vehicle for the stud."
Mr Rintoul, with wife Ann and brother Jeffrey, will be celebrating their first supreme win after six years of entries at the show.
"We have won grand champion fleece awards at the local Narrogin show in the past," Mr Rintoul said.
Mr Rintoul admits the fleece entry, with almost 12 months of growth, and which captured the attention of the show judges, was one of their best so far.
"It was shorn from a Poll Merino ram, sired through artificial insemination from the Pooginook Gem sire and out of an Auburn Valley stud ewe," he said.
Mr Rintoul said the ram was wearing its prized fleece when it placed third in the medium class at the National Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo in July. The Rintouls run 6500 ewes in a 75/25 sheep/cropping program.
"We are maintaining numbers on the back of a reasonable wool market," he said.
Chief wool judge Tim Chapman said the winning fleece measured 21.5 microns and carried a tremendous weight of 10.3kg.
"The Rintouls should be congratulated for producing a beautiful white fleece with so much character and style," he said.
"The fleece which measured a 99.2 per cent comfort factor was extremely soft and scored a total 96 points out of 100 with 10 out of 10 for handle."
Mr Chapman said the overall fleece entries of 183 were similar to last year and the quality was good.
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