Instead, the South Australian farmer much preferred the thrill of breeding of animal that could influence an industry and have that recognised within the industry.
Mr Wallace was judging merinos at the Wānaka A&P Show along with fellow Australian judge Michael Corkhill. For both men, it was their first time at the show and they were ‘‘blown away’’ by the event and its location.
Mr Wallace’s family had the Glenlea Park merino stud for about 60 years but when his own children said they were not interested in the stud, he went commercial farming, although he still enjoyed judging.
The $100,000 ram sold in 2019 to a syndicate, with a stud in Victoria being the major shareholder. At that time, it was the highest price in Australia for 30 years. He had thought it might make $60,000 or $70,000, but nothing was certain as it was auctioned.
The ram had gone on to breed well and semen had been sold from him. Mr Wallace had bred several other rams which he believed had influenced the industry more than he did.
He enjoyed visiting other studs and seeing the genetic influence from Glenlea Park.
Both he and Mr Corkhill were in agreement on the supreme champion merino of the show — a merino ram owned by the Small family from Blairich Merinos in Marlborough — which Mr Wallace described as an ‘‘outstanding’’ sheep.
To select the supreme champion, it had to tick all the boxes, including wool, structure and meat, and some very good sheep had to be marked down on minor details. The runner-up was a ewe hogget owned by the Paterson family, of Armidale Merino Stud, near Ranfurly.
There were some quality sheep entered in the show and it was refreshing to see paddock presentation, Mr Wallace said.
New Zealand had several different climatic conditions and that was evident in the entries which were from different areas.
Mr Corkhill said he and Mr Wallace shared a similar breeding philosophy and quipped that they had not had a fight over their deliberations. He had been a big fan of Glenlea Park sheep.
Mr Corkhill has the Grassy Creek stud, of mainly polled merinos, in southern New South Wales. It was his first time in New Zealand and he was loving the show and the Wānaka area. ‘‘I’m from hilly country but not when I got here,’’ he said, laughing.
He found many of the breeders in New Zealand had similar thoughts to them, and had similar problems. He was delighted to see some of the younger generation involved in the show and he had his own son Toby, 15, in tow. Toby was keen on sheep — and also keen to get some time off school.
