By JO HARRISON
THE quiet achievers in super-fine wool growing in the region Chris Dunne and Linda Waters from The Range, Enmore have been awarded regional winners for the Northern Tablelands in the 2013 New England Wool Ultimate Clip competition.
The couple, who rely on years of tradition and quality rams from stud breeders Leo and Judy Blanch of Westvale, Wollun were pretty happy to have taken out the top spot among a quality field of super-fine producers.
“We still can’t believe we have won,” Mr Dunne said.
“We’re hopeful that we can take out the national award as well but Tassie is looking like stiff competition. We are just happy to be producing quality superfine wool as we really enjoy what we do and love working with sheep.”
Chris and Linda have been running The Range for 25 years taking over the property from Linda’s father who passed away in 1988. They run 3500 merino sheep producing on average an 85-bale wool clip all from Westvale blood with a 17.5 micron.
The wool production is supplemented with cattle and fat lambs all on 4000 acres which Chris and Linda manage on their own.
“When we took over the property we had more of a medium type wool and over the years we have improved this to produce super-fine wool,” Chris Dunne said.
“About eight years ago we invested in artificial insemination which improved our style 100 per cent and that year we got a really good ram from Westvale which helped enormously.”
New England Wool managing director Andrew Blanch said Chris and Linda were always keen to ask questions on how they can improve and are breeding a very straight line of sheep.
“This means the majority of wool coming off their sheep is good quality, they are culling out the poorer sheep every year,” Mr Blanch said.
“Chris and Linda are two of the most dedicated and devoted people I know when it comes to breeding and preparing the best wool clip.
“Each year they ask me to go through their clip to point out areas where they can improve – which is becoming more difficult for me as time goes by!
“Constructive criticism is taken as a challenge, and the improvements can be seen in the following season’s clip,” he said.
“72 per cent of all fleece lines were valued into our best spinner types, while 98 per cent of the entire clip was suitable in one way or another for our clients.”
The Ultimate Clip Competition’s national winner will be announced in Sydney in the coming weeks. The national winner will be awarded a 12-day trip to Italy, visiting fabric makers, Reda and Vitale Barberis Canonico – the two Italian-based shareholders of New England Wool.
The New England Wool Ultimate Clip Competition started in 1993 to support producers of commercial quantities of superior superfine wool – judging the whole clip, not just a fleece or a bale.
“Over the past 20 years New England Wool has purchased more than 50 per cent of all ‘spinners’ type wools offered through auction catalogues throughout the country,” Mr Blanch said.
“This has increased to up to 65 per cent in the last decade. In addition, in each and every year of the competition New England Wool has purchased more than 60 per cent of all the fleece lines offered by those clips that have been judged as finalists.”
This will be the final year of the New England Wool Ultimate Clip competition.
“It has served a valuable purpose for New England Wool, its shareholders and for Australian Superfine wool growers, but we are looking to a future that’s challenging and inspiring. Watch this space … ” Mr Blanch said.
