The best in New Zealand ram breeding were celebrated at an awards function in Invercargill, last week. More than 300 people attended Beef and Lamb New Zealand Sheep Industry Awards - the second of what will be an annual event.
BLNZ chairman Mike Petersen said organisers had not foreseen how popular the awards would be.
''It is great to see the sector embrace the awards so enthusiastically,'' Mr Petersen said.
Five sector excellence awards and 10 genetics-based awards were presented.
The Blackdale Sheep Industry Supplier of the Year Award went to Hugh and Judy Akers of Broadlands Station, suppliers to ANZCO.
Former AgResearch Invermay scientist Dr George Davis was recipient of the Silver Fern Farms Sheep Industry Science Award.
The AgITO Sheep Industry Trainer of the Year Award went to Kevin Smith, of Middlemarch.
Animal Breeding Trust general manager Clare Callow was presented with the Allflex Individual or Business Making a Significant Contribution to the New Zealand Sheep Industry Award.
Alliance Group Limited was awarded the BLNZ Sheep Industry Innovation Award for 2013.
Two gold awards were presented in the genetics-based categoriesGeorge and Kathryn Smith, of Tamlet stud, received the Alliance Group Limited Terminal Sire Overall Award for their Texel stud, near Wyndham.
The Telford - A Division of Lincoln University Dual Purpose Overall Award - went to a Cambridge-based stud, the MNCC Coopworth stud, owned by Edward Dinger. Results of the genetics-based awards were calculated using ram breeders' performance in SIL-ACE (Advanced Central Evaluation) - an across flock and breed genetic evaluation of more than 300 ram breeding flocks.