Mr McCulloch, who has been breeding sheep since 1972, won the Fulton Memorial Supreme Sheep of the Show at the North Otago A&P Show on Saturday with his Border Leicester, "51".
It was still unknown what sort of breeder 51, who was born in 2015, would be, but Mr McCulloch had high hopes. He was surprised by the win.
"This is the first time. [The result] probably exceeded expectations. I don’t think he’s perfect. He’s straight out of the paddock."
He said part of the appeal of being a sheep breeder was the community of people in the field he met.
"You meet great people. It’s all connections.’’He enjoyed his work and had a lot of respect for sheep.
"They’re not silly. If they find a hole in the fence they’ll find it a week later.
"I just like sheep. They’re quite suited to our country. They’ve looked after us over the years ... there’s been some tough years."
In the 1970s New Zealand was home to about 300 flocks of Border Leicester, but now the country was down to about 30, he said.
