Gippsland Merino field days

The event will offer people the opportunity to see how Gippsland breeders like to mix it up a bit, buying rams to produce the wool micron and weight they favour.

This can be anything from superfine 15-micron to coarser 20M.

However, most wool growers in the region like to produce an average 18M and achieve a bright white, soft handling fleece with weight and yield.

With the vastly ranging topography from coastal sands along the South Gippsland highway to the Alpine region of Omeo-Benambra, that means an adaptable sheep flock.

Russell and Merilyn Pendergast, Benambra, believe the high altitude favours their sheep, producing weaner fleeces of 16.6M and an average 18M across the flock.

"Nothing goes over 18.2M," Mr Pendergast told Stock & Land.

The couple began breeding Merino wool 30 years ago when they bought a foundation flock from Bindawarra Merino Stud, then owned by Murray and Philip Toland at Cobungra.

"That set us up as sheep breeders instantly," Mr Pendergast said.

Since 1990, they have bought Pendarra rams, mixed with a few Round Hill and a foray into Nicholson River bloodlines.

"We've been Pendarra since Kelvin started," he said.

"We're mainly about breeding wool, with a few cross-bred lambs for pocket money.

"We generally buy three to four Merino rams and a couple of Dorset rams each year."

Mr Pendergast apportions a flock of ewes to each ram and they remained together until the ram stopped working.

"The ram is generally here until he dies – he works matched with a mob of ewes for life," he said.

The entire flock grazed year-round on high country clover and ryegrass which received an annual fertiliser application.

Improved country was kept for finishing lambs and cull ewes before sale. Ewes were generally kept until they were about five-years-old, when some were joined to terminal sires and some were permanently retired from the property.

Wethers went through two shearings, the first as weaners, before they were sold to restockers or to the meat market.

"We generally sell them to another woolgrower who's after Pendarra bloodline wool, or to meat," Mr Pendergast said.

Fertility was high, with 98 per cent lambs recently marked; although Mr Pendergast expected that number to be pulled back a bit when the maiden ewes started lambing.

"The whole Benambra-Omeo district produces beautiful wool and magnificent sheep," Mr Pendergast said.

"Cold winters and bright summers produce silky soft wool.

"So most of us who follow that style of wool these days, prefer Pendarra or Round Hill rams.

"I'm particular about the type of ram I buy because I want a fairly even clip.

"The wool needs a good strength, yielding over 70pc clean wool and we keep the micron range within 18 by buying rams 16.5-17M with elite wool on them.

"We try to keep the length of the fleece under 100mm with an average weight over 6kg and we don't overstock because we want the work to be manageable year-round.

"We also like the shearers to be happy – not have to fight to get the wool off the sheep – so we include that focus in the type of wool we breed."

"We bought Nicholson River rams to fine things down," Mr Pendergast said.

1. Pendarra Merino Stud, Benambra

2. Round Hill Merino Stud, Omeo

3. Nicholson River Merino Stud, Nicholson

4. Stockton Merino Stud, Hillside

5. The Fringe Merino Stud, Briagolong

6. Bindawarra Merino Stud, Giffard West