THE king of the sheep breeds will strut centre stage at the 36th annual Sheepvention showcase in Hamilton next month when the Merino is celebrated as the event's feature breed.
Passionate Merino producer David Lyons, of Vasey, said with fluctuating wool markets and the increasing cost of production had challenged breeders nationally, so the attention was a welcome spotlight on the breed that played an important part in Australia's economy.
"The country was once dependent on wool as its main export and used to be known as 'riding on the sheep's back', so it is worthy of being the feature breed," Mr Lyons said.
Mr Lyons has been a Merino producer for most of his life, following in the footsteps of his late father Jim Lyons who established the flock in the early 1950s.
He said there were several aspects of the Merino breed that warranted promotion, including the size of the champion sheep and the wool that they carry.
Mr Lyons said the negativity surrounding animal activists' slandering of the industry needed to be counteracted with the "true story" of Australia's passion for agriculture and the importance the industry once played to the country's wealth.
The 809-hectare Western District property, which trades under DJ Lyons Partnership with Mr Lyons and wife his Olwyn, runs 3100 One Oak-blood Merinos.
The Lyons' have used the same bloodline for more than three decades.
The sheep enterprise includes a mob of 1200 breeders that mark 900-1000 lambs annually.
The flock average 18.5-19.8 micron and cut an av 5 kilograms per full wool sheep.
The Merino operation dovetails with Melville Park Hereford and Poll Hereford stud that has 250 breeding cows.
Sheepvention will mark a momentous occasion for loyal show exhibitors, One Oak, Jerilderie, NSW, as they participate in the show's sale for the final time before owners Graham and Mary Wells close the book on 58 years in the Merino stud breeding industry.
Mr Lyons said he had been a committed One Oak client since 1983 due to the animals doing ability, fleece type, respectable frame and decent wool cuts that suit Western Victoria's terrain.
"The breeding aims haven't changed a lot in over 30 years but we have improved our micron, the sheep are bigger than they used to be and cut more, softer handling wool," he said.
"While our production has improved, we are hoping for the market to be corrected so we start to see improvements."
The move to One Oak stemmed from fleece rot issues due to the former stud genetics not producing wool suitable to the area.
He said this was more prone in dense wool-type sheep that struggled to survive the Hamilton region's consecutively wet and misty winter days that made the fleece damp for prolonged periods.
Mr Lyons said the family's passion for Merinos was due to the dual market animal that produced the best wool in the world.
In the past, the Lyons's have secured a lucrative export contract to the Middle East during their peak buying period of July and August.
"That time of year usually receives the best price and it suits our operation so we can shear older wethers, lighten off paddocks to cut for hay through spring," he said.
The four-year-old wethers sent to the Middle East fetched fluctuating averages of between $80 and $115/head that were sent between 2000 and 2014.
"They'll take anything so it is a shame that the animal advocacy groups have interrupted the trade," he said.
The world airing of footage that depicted violence towards animals in shearing sheds by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) had slandered the wool industry, according to Mr Lyons, who said it shone a dark light on what was actually an industry that upheld high animal welfare standards.
"You present the sheep in the best way you can – of course, because they are our livelihood," he said.
"You now have to be that little bit more careful about animal advocates manipulating your treatment of livestock because they're out there, you just don't know where they are all the time."
He said the future of the wool industry was positive, and it was opportune for producers to spread the fibre's good story.
"To get younger people wearing wool it needs to be more durable and versatile products for consumers by working with more blends -- it is getting there," he said.
"Australia was once known for riding on the sheep's back so we need to continue to value the history of the Merino industry."