LOOKING across the border to secure quality Poll Merino genetics from Old Ashrose last week was young sheep breeder Aidan Maynard, 19, Kerribee Station, Gol Gol, Vic.
He paid the second-highest price at the sale of $7500, in a half-share with his grandfather Jim Maynard.
Aidan’s great grandfather Jack Maynard first bought rams from Ashrose in 1947, restocking after a drought in the early 1940s and Jim continued on the family tradition of buying from the stud.
The $7500 ram the Maynards bought this year weighed 137.5 kilograms and its fleece was 22.1 micron, with 3.2 standard deviation, 15.2 coefficient of variation and 99.2 per cent comfort factor.
Aidan said Old Ashrose rams fitted well into his family’s enterprise.
“Kerribee Station covers 48,600 hectares, consisting of sheep, cropping and cattle,” he said. “We run an unofficial stud, aiming to produce heavy wool cutting, plain-bodied, large-framed rams for use among our flock ewes.”
Aidan first saw Old Ashrose rams at the 2014 Hay Sheep Show in NSW, and liked what he saw, prompting him to attend the sale in 2014 to purchase his first ram. Excellent lambing and fast maturing sheep of a good type keeps Aidan going back each year.
He said the ram he bought this year stoodout for its large frame and outstanding wool quality.
Old Ashrose’s Nick Wadlow was ecstatic with this year’s sale results.
“It was well beyond our expectations, and driven by people looking for large-framed sheep that cut a lot of wool,” he said. “We had a lot of positive feedback about how well the rams presented and how even the line-up was from start to finish.
“There was plenty of stud interest, which was very pleasing, and reflected the quality of the line-up.”
Mr Wadlow says it is good time to be in the sheep industry. “The industry is very buoyant at the moment, people are seeing good returns for wool and meat, and that's filtering through to stud sales.”
