Ekka Lamb Competition Sees Record Prices and Surprise Champion
First-time exhibitors Justin and Carla Dillon won top honours at the Royal Queensland Show's prime lamb competition. Their lambs achieved record prices, with the competition showcasing exceptional quality.
Key takeaways
- Justin and Carla Dillon, first-time exhibitors, won champion and reserve champion at the Ekka prime lamb competition.
- The Dillons' six lambs sold for over $2000, with prices of $14.05/kg and $13.50/kg.
- The competition featured 81 lambs, with judges noting exceptional quality.
- Bellevue Grazing won champion single grass-fed lamb and overall Paddock to Plate, with one lamb selling for $16/kg.
North Star producers Justin and Carla Dillon achieved a notable victory at the Royal Queensland Show's prime lamb competition, securing both the overall champion and reserve champion ribbons. This marked their debut in the competition.
The couple, who operate a Dorper ewe enterprise, diversified from cattle in 2019 following drought conditions. Their decision to enter the prime lamb competition was encouraged by their agent, Ross Ellis. Despite initial concerns about lamb weight categories, the Dillons' lambs met the required specifications.
Their light grain-fed lambs, weighing 72kg across three bodies with a fat score of 3, were sold for $14.05/kg. The reserve champion pen of heavy trade lambs sold for $13.50/kg. In total, the six lambs generated over $2000 for the exhibitors.
The quality of the 81 lambs entered in the competition was described as exceptional by judge Greg Carey. Bellevue Grazing from Millmerran also achieved success, winning the champion single grass-fed lamb and overall Paddock to Plate champions. Their champion grass-fed single lamb sold for $16/kg, a price that agent Ross Ellis suggested would have been a record for a lamb in Queensland under commercial conditions.
Sources reviewed
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