Extract from The Land – 6 September 2018
ASHLEY Currans has been a regular to the Rabobank National Merino Show and Sale for decades, but he only began exhibiting last year, and that was in the commercial flock ewe section.
The competition is for paddock sheep only with two-teeth and shown in pens of five head. Studs cannot enter.
For the second year Mr Currans entered a pen in the long wool and short wool sections and won both.
The Currans family, Morella, Hermidale, had been running upwards of 10,000 Merinos of Towalba blood, but have cut back numbers in these recent dry times. As well, the family runs a Hereford herd on the red soil country nourishing native pastures and herbage.
Mr Currans said he liked breeding big, bold-crimping highly productive wool on versatile ewes, which have been classed by, Garry Kopp for some years.
The flock is currently joining 8500 ewes and has been using Towalba blood for at least 20 years, according to Mr Kopp.
“The flock grows between 20 and 20.5 micron wool and adult ewes will cut an average eight kilogram fleece,” he said.
Mr Currans had two ewes shorn in Dubbo and commented that their fleeces weighed 10.5 and 12 kilograms at 11 months of growth.
Mark Griggs – The Land
