The Peter Westblade Memorial Challenge 2012-2014 honors the late Peter Westblade, who was a passionate poll merino breeder from Lockhart in NSW.

The Merino Challenge is Australia’s largest commercial evaluation of merino genetics and involves 60 teams of 30 wethers.

The wethers have been sourced from across Australia, states involved are South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and NSW.

All sheep in the Merino Challenge are from commercial operations and includes some of the merino industry’s largest breeders and most influential bloodlines.

There are two components to the Merino Challenge, a Meat Challenge and a Wool Challenge.

The Meat Challenge wethers have been measured for growth and carcass traits whilst the Wool Challenge wethers are being run at the Temora Agricultural Innovation Centre for two years and measured for wool traits.

PWMMC 2012-2014 / Wool Challenge

2014 Shearing

The 2014 shearing for the PWMMC 2012-2014 took place at the Temora Agricultural Innovation Centre, NSW.  More than 300 people attended the event to see 60 teams from NSW, VIC, SA and TAS be shorn and wool and meat traits measured.

Click here to view previous Merino Challenge Reports.

2013 Shearing Gallery

PWMMC 2012-2014 / Meat Challenge

The Meat Challenge highlights the variation that exists for meat and growth traits in the Merino Industry.  Entrants with breeding programs that place emphasis on growth and meat performed well.

Meat Challenge team averages for growth rate ranged from 212g/day to 285 g/day (age-adjusted).

More than 20,000 records were collected and processed during the Meat Challenge.

Click here to order a copy of the 2012 Meat Challenge Report.