First Place:  4

Entry number: 841

Exhibitor: EmsoffLambs

State: CA

Sheep name/number: 0212

Breed: Suffolk X Hampshire

Website: www.emsofflivestockcompany.com

I am going to opt to start with the brood ewe of the bunch.  4 is simply a more maternal, high volumed, thick ewe that best combines production traits.  No, she is not the longest sided nor the latest maturing, however, she is a big topped, big ribbed female that for this stage of production still looks balanced and feminine.  

In direct comparison to 3, she is a stouter boned, more feminine featured ewe that is shallower chested and progressivley deepens to a fuller flank.  In additon she appears to be easier fleshing and I would predict her to have the greatest longevity and productive life within the flock.

Second Place:  3

Entry number: 785

Exhibitor: jvwv90

State: OH

Sheep name/number: 915

Breed: crossbred

Some may prefer the more clubby look of 3 as there is no doubt that she is long sided and extremely thick.  However from a practical standpoint, she is tighter ribbed, higher flanked and frailer boned than the class winner.  However in an equally close middle pair, I prefer her added thickness, fullness of top and loin and overall added body capacity over the cool ribbed 2.  Most important, it appears that 3 is just more pulled apart through the center of her body, and should produce fast growing, high performing offspring that are thick and powerful if comprably mated.

Third Place:  2

Entry number: 663

Originally, I liked the cool look of 2, as she is the shallow hearted, neat shouldered one that progressively widens and thickens from front to rear.  Yet when we truely analyze her, she lacks the body dimension of the two I choose to leave ahead of her, and I question her strength and thickness down her top.  With these faults aside, she dominates 1 in the concluding pair.  She is a better balanced higher quality ewe that in additon to being longer sided, she is much bigger out of her hip, thicker through her lower leg and much better in her skeletal design.

Fourth Place:  1

Entry number: 499

There is no doubt that 1 is probably more opened up over her rack, however she is wider over her shoulders than she is out of her pins, deeper in the front half of her skeleton than the rear, and the shortest sided earliest maturing of the class.

Therefore I like the yearling ewes 4, 3, 2, 1 with cuts of 2, 2, 6.