A RELENTLESS pursuit of excellence and a love of the Merino breed have paid off handsomely for the Peters family of Hillston, in southern NSW.

Their Poll Merino flock was entered in the Peppin-Shaw Riverina Ewe Flock Competition last week, but as first-time entrants, they felt they had little hope of winning.

    AT A GLANCE
  • Who: Peters family
  • What: sheep
  • Why: award-winning flock
  • Where: Hillston, NSW
  • Report: FIONA MYERS

But win they did, and in doing so, made history.

It was the first time a new entrant had taken the competition's ultimate honour and it was also the first time the major award had gone to a Poll Merino flock.

The Peters have every reason to be proud. Not only did they exhibit the prize-winning flock but they also bred the rams that produced them.

The operation is a two-pronged enterprise, run by Geoff and Dianne Peters and their sons Mark and Andy.

Their base is Ballatherie, near Hillston, which is home to their 12-year-old Poll Merino stud as well as a commercial flock.

And about 75km away is Yandembah Station, a 13,700ha property the Peters bought in 2000 and home to the commercial flock they entered into this year's Peppin Shaw.

The winning mob of about 700 head was classed last July by Stuart Hodgson, with 36 per cent of the original mob of about 1100 head taken out.

Geoff said they expanded their operation a decade ago and bought the flock running on Yandembah. "We were lucky, as the sheep were already pretty good, and we have used our own rams over them since then," he said.

Yandembah is a mix of country, ranging from native bushes to lignum floodout areas.

In the 10 years the Peters have owned the station, they have totally destocked it for two years because of drought.

"That set us back with our breeding program," Geoff said.

Although the seasons have worked against them, the sheep seem to perform regardless.

Yandembah had just 230mm of rain last year, yet the average body weight of the ewes entered in the competition was 67kg.

These ewes had received no supplementary feeding, but now have access to some hay in the lead-up to lambing in early May.

Geoff said the sheep performed because they were bred to suit the country. "We have a 22-micron flock and the sheep don't deviate too much from that," he said. "Our young sheep test about 19 micron and the flock would average a wool cut of 6.5 to 7kg.

"We have never done anything about chasing micron and have been happy to breed the kind of sheep we think suits the country they run on."

Last year, the Peters' wool averaged 21.7 micron for 142 bales, with a 64.1 per cent yield.

Finding a balance between body size, fertility and wool cut is always a balancing act in Merino breeding, but it's one the Peters seem to have mastered.

The Yandembah flock averaged a high 98 per cent lambing last year. Geoff said they were now feeding hay to the breeding ewes and this would increase in the six weeks before lambing.

"We produce all our own fodder, including hay," he said.

The Peters sell most of their sheep at Hillston's annual spring sheep sale. Last year, they averaged an impressive $82 for 3000 head.

The best of the young wethers are offered at the market, while the balance are shorn and sent to the family's feedlot at Ballatherie.

Geoff said the lambs were fed grain, with the aim of turning them off at 20kg carcass weight.

"We have seen some great weight gains from our lambs, of up to 350g a day on an 80 per cent grain ration," he said.

Competition judge, Will Roberts from Queensland, was highly complimentary of the Yandembah flock.

"This is a good example of matching the style of sheep to the country they are on and it is nice to see someone hit the mark," he said.