News

Greg, Robyn, Mitchell and Ben Cavanagh of Springhills Quindanning have been named the 2025/26 WAMMCO Producer of the Year and recipients of the Judy Cameron Memorial Award.

The award was presented at the WAMMCO Annual General Meeting at the Katanning Leisure Centre on Thursday 15 October, in front of almost 200 members, industry guests and staff.

Greg accepted the trophy on behalf of the family from WAMMCO Chair Bill O’Keeffe, Chief Executive Coll MacRury and Zoetis Senior Sales Representative Ben Fletcher.

Springhills took out the Large Crossbred Supplier category with 3,085 owner-bred lambs averaging 25.9kg, scoring 88.83 points – almost three points clear of second place. The Cavanaghs are the eighth different name on the Judy Cameron Memorial trophy in the awards’ 10-year history.

It’s a remarkable result for a family that has supplied WAMMCO for only about 18 months. Greg said the win came as a genuine surprise, describing WAMMCO as a “pretty good mob” to deal with.

A shedding flock, built from the ground up

The Cavanaghs farm about 2,400 hectares and run 5,500 breeding ewes. Five or six years ago they began moving from Merinos to shedding sheep, and within two years the whole ewe flock will be pure shedders.

They started by joining Merino ewes to shedding rams, while building a purebred nucleus flock to breed their own rams. Embryo transfer, mainly using Kojak genetics, and a line of UltraWhite ewe lambs helped grow numbers faster.

Each year the family retains about 1,500 purebred shedding ewe lambs and joins them as ewe lambs. Between 85 and 95 per cent scan in lamb, with lambing around 85 per cent. This season they also trialled two lambings, in February and September.

Around a quarter of lambs are sold as suckers straight off their mothers. The rest are backgrounded on stubbles, then finished in the on-farm feedlot on a barley and lupin ration with minerals and hay.

Every lamb is weighed out of the feedlot, with a target of 55kg-plus liveweight for a 25-30kg carcase. The family has been feedlot-finishing for 40 years, and Greg’s view is simple: whatever the breed, good feed and clean water are what make lambs perform.

Rewarding quality, all year round

Now in their 10th year, the WAMMCO Producer of the Year awards replaced the State Prime Lamb Carcase Competition in 2016/17, opening recognition up to more suppliers.

Every producer supplying at least 250 crossbred or Merino lambs in the financial year is entered automatically, with lambs assessed at the point of slaughter. Entries are scored out of 100:

• 80 points for the percentage of defect-free carcases in the Sweet Spot: 21.1-30kg HSCW, fat score 2-4
• 20 points for timing and volume of supply, rewarding consignments outside the spring flush (more than 400 lambs in each quarter earns the full 20)

This year 830,659 lambs from 457 growers were assessed, from Geraldton to Esperance – 96 per cent of all lambs WAMMCO processed. Of those, 70.6 per cent hit the Sweet Spot, up from 66.8 per cent last year, and 96.5 per cent were defect free.

WAMMCO Producer Relations Manager Rob Davidson said the past year had marked the return of the sheep.

“We have seen record prices coupled with a shortage of supply,” Rob said.

He said the award winners are investing in genetics, nutrition and on-farm management, and taking the time to prepare lambs properly before they’re trucked.

Arthritis remained the most common defect at 1.22 per cent of lambs, followed by broken ribs at 1.1 per cent. Rob encouraged producers to look seriously at vaccination, with 48 per cent of growers recording arthritis above 1 per cent.

Our top three in every category

Large Crossbred Supplier (2,200+ lambs)

1. Springhills Quindanning, Quindanning
2. Tullamore Holdings, Kojonup
3. Glenridge Park, Mt Barker

Medium Crossbred Supplier (1,000-2,199 lambs)

1. Prices Contracting, Jitarning
2. GJ & HA Cussons, Kojonup
3. Johnston Plains, Nyabing

Small Crossbred Supplier (250-999 lambs)

1. Barry Shackley & Co, Cartmeticup
2. The Trustee for The Kennedy Family Trust, Quindanning
3. KA & MA Hooper, Merredin

Large Merino Supplier (750+ lambs)

1. Moortlea Farming, Jerramungup
2. SJ & N Thompson, Newdegate
3. Bullock Hills Pastoral P/L, Cartmeticup

Small Merino Supplier (250-749 lambs)

1. RE & KL Davies, Wagin
2. Winton Park Grazing, Tambellup
3. CJ Squiers & Sons, Quairading

In the Large Crossbred section, Keith, Marlene and Brad Ashton of Tullamore Holdings placed second with 5,797 lambs averaging 24.8kg (85.90 points) from their Australian White cross flock. David, Lyn, Andrew and Shannon Slade of Glenridge Park, foundation WAMMCO suppliers, were third with 25,153 lambs averaging 25.9kg (85.29 points).

Barry and Marion Price of Prices Contracting topped the Medium Crossbred section with 1,422 lambs averaging 25.6kg – a standout result for a couple who only took up farming four years ago – while Barry and Damien Shackley led the Small Crossbred section with 923 lambs averaging 24.3kg.

Category winners received cash, a Zoetis product voucher and a WAMMCO lamb esky; second place received cash and an esky, and third place an esky. Since the awards began, more than $275,000 in cash, eskies and product has gone to winning producers.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the Cavanagh family and every placegetter, and thank you to Zoetis for its continued support of the awards.

The awards capped a big day in Katanning, with 24 MLA Lambassadors cooking lunch for members. Read about the AGM and the Lambassador cook-off.

Want to see how your lambs measure up against the Sweet Spot? Contact Rob Davidson on 0429 380 195 or rdavidson@wammco.com.au.