IN THE last six months, Hynam Poll Merinos have relocated their entire operation from Hopetoun, in the Mallee region, to Longwood, in central Victoria.
Stud principal Kevin Hynam said the decision was made as a part of their own debt restructure, and to allow the family-based operation to focus solely on livestock.
“We were running a fair-sized cropping operation on 2400 hectares in the Mallee, with about the same level of livestock that we are able to manage here on 400 hectares,” Mr Hynam said.
“We’re hoping that there’ll be more demand for wool sheep in this area.”
He said they would be working in a completely different weather climate.
“Since arriving, there has been six inches of rain through the summer period that has had minimal impact on our wool,” he said.
“As we have been selling into southern Victoria, and have been focusing on white wool, the sheep have coped well with the change to a wetter climate.”
He said participating in Stock & Land Sheep Week would be a good opportunity to open their gates to new clients.
“Because it’s the first year it’s going ahead, we thought we’d jump on board and get involved straight away,” he said.
Mr Hynam has been breeding Poll Merinos since the stud was established in 1988, with the purchase of some stud ewes out of South Australia.
“I’ve always had an interest in breeding Merino sheep, and it has just developed from there,” he said.
He said they’ve always focused on polled genetics.
“We believe that they’re easier to handle, and a little more placid than horned rams, and just in general we felt that was where the future was going,” he said.
“Twenty years ago there’d be people in the industry that would have said polled weren’t as good as horned, but now there would be no argument.”
He said that over the years they’ve selected genetics that focus on white, crimpy wool with good carcase traits and growth rates, to suit both the lamb and mutton markets.
“When I started with my sheep almost 30 years ago, we were more at 25 micron, and in the last six years, we’ve had nothing test over 20,” he said.
“Our younger ones will test at about 18 this year, and that’s just come from selecting for style and softness.”
Mr Hynam said he sells rams privately, as well as at numerous multi-vendor sales throughout the year.
“The plan is at this stage that we will enter rams for show and sale at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show at Bendigo, plus display rams there with the North East Merino Breeders Group,” he said.
“We’ll also have five rams on offer at Sheepvention, about eight at Benalla, and two or three at Classings Classic at Murray Bridge.
“If the move to Longwood proves to be successful, and we develop a stronger local client base, we will have a look at having our own on-property sale in the future.”
