WINDOW shopping during his time as a shearer has given Ralph Sartori a priceless view into what industry trends are and how to stay ahead.
And while modest about his achievements, the Strangways-based producer has won a few important pieces of silverware due to his retail decisions.
Along with wife Jill and son Adrian, he runs a 1200-head Merino flock on 345 hectares.
The family has twice won the Flock Of The Year competition in the five years they entered.
"When we were in the competition, Victoria was split into five areas, and one of the things that came out of it was that almost all the section winners were shearers," Ralph said.
"A friend used to dob me in every year. The first year we came fourth, and the next year we won our area."
At the time, the competition was one of the first to benchmark the productivity of Merino flocks using fleece weight and carcase values.
And the sheep have made big improvements since then, Ralph said.
"I like to see good, soft wool on a sheep. I used to have wethers in a trial at Skipton and the comfort factor back then was 94 per cent – well now it's up to 99pc."
The micron of the clip has also fined up in the last 10 to 15 years from 21-22M to 18-19M, and in fair weather averages six kilogram per head.
Given the wool markets' recent preference for strong wools, he was now considering boosting the micron of the flock up a few micron again.
Judges of the Australian Fleece Competition were equally as impressed with the Sartori fleece a few years ago – placing a station-bred wether fleece as the country's best that year.
"We saw a lamb in the flock when we were marking that I thought would turn into a pretty good sheep," Ralph said.
"So we kept him and shore him and the fleece was pretty good."
Son Adrian was so impressed with the 14-kilogram jacket he entered the fleece into the Bendigo-based competition, where it ended up in a bubble on display with the grand champion ribbon.
It was the heavy cut and impeccable hauteur value that boosted the animal's fleece to the top of the chart, he said.
"It was a huge surprise on the day because this sheep that was just running out in the paddock with the rest of the flock had got up over the fleeces from the stud rams and the like," Ralph said.
While the flock has used several bloodlines over the years, it was nearby stud Akeringa which he always gravitated back to.
"I've developed a very good friendship with Ian (Bennett)," he said.
"I really like the sheep, and they've always done well in this area."
Each year Mr Bennett heads over to Strangways to class the ewe weaners, of which he culls between 25-30pc.
The staple length and well-nourished wool on the Marong-based stud rams are attributes that have held the veteran shearer's eye across the years.
"I'm also going for a ram with a good long body when I go out there and have a look," he said.
"I don't like to see too much wrinkle – just enough. If anything I like to see the wool is a little bit open – as long as it's got good staple length and a soft muzzle."
And with the recent purchase of fifty lambs by a 150kg Akeringa ram, who won the restricted medium wool champion ribbon at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show this year, Ralph is still striving to improve the flock's productivity.
The lambs are expected to inherit their father's scale, and will add to the prime lamb shoot off of the Sartoris' business.
While wethers are often held on to, each year 200 Merino ewes are joined to White Suffolks, with the progeny sold off as suckers at Ballarat or Bendigo store markets.
"If you can get $100 for your lambs and get 5-6kg of wool off of them, then you're still going ok," Ralph said.