Growing wool is in Tim Bingley’s blood and despite passing the reins onto the next generation, he says he hasn’t lost his interest nor his passion for the natural product.
The Bingley family has owned The Meadows on the volcanic plains of Rokewood, since 1939.
Mr Bingley said the property spanned 2000 hectares, of which about 80 per cent is devoted to running Merinos and 20pc to cropping.
He said it had always been a wool growing and cropping enterprise, and in the past few years, cropping had increased a bit and would likely continue to grow, under the management of his son-in-law Andrew Whitlock. Mr Whitlock is helped by Ben Firman, who is the operation’s livestock manager.
Mr Bingley loves to get up to the farm and helps during busy times, including shearing that started in July. He said they shore more than 9000 sheep, with shearing spilling into a third week.
The Meadows’ clip averages in the high 17 micron range and generally has good staple strength and yields in excess of 75 per cent.
Mr Bingley said careful management and genetic selection made it possible to produce clean, strong wool.
They have been using Stockton genetics for 15 years, and before that the clip averaged high 18s early 19s micron ranges.
“The Stockton genetics have been very helpful in our operation, they’ve promoted staple length, wool cut, finer wool, and bigger frames,” Mr Bingley said.
About six or seven years ago, they started buying Poll genetics from Stockton.
While it’s been a gradual transition, Mr Bingley said the Poll Merinos were easier to manage and they found them to be more productive sheep, both in terms of more wool and more lambs.
“Alan Stewart (at Stockton) has been very good to us and his genetics have suited our type of sheep.
“Alan helps us chose which rams would be most suitable for our ewes and that has proved to be very good.”
The rams are put out in late March for six weeks, at a ratio of 1:80 for the first three weeks and then a higher ratio for the final three weeks.
The ewes lamb in late August/September.
This means lambs are shorn at 10 months and they have about 80mm of wool.
The ewes are all classed at 15 months of age, said those that do not have the preferred wool type or frame are sold. Mr Bingley said there was a ready market for them, whether they were sold privately or at the on-property circuit sale.
Every year, the whole drop of 4.5 year-old ewes are sold at that circuit sale in January.
Wethers are generally sold to the mutton trade at three years old, or sometimes to graziers who want to run them on for their wool.
Mr Bingley said having a very young flock meant they were constantly improving its genetic merit.
“The flock replaces itself every three years, so the older ewes have to make way for the young ones coming in.”
The team at the Meadows tends to sell a few rams each year too.
Mr Bingley said while the team understood the importance of nutrition for the sheep to reach their genetic potential.
“We’ve been working on pasture improvement and renovation for in excess of 50 years and we found that a phalaris, fescue and clover mix is best suited to our conditions.”
They feed out grain as a supplement in autumn if required. Generally this in grown on-farm, except in extreme circumstances when it is brought in. Last month, Mr Bingley said The Meadows was enjoying a wonderful season.
As part of the family’s succession plan, Mr Bingley and wife Julie now live at Barwon Heads, but he said his “life-long commitment” to wool growing would never waiver.
“It’s in my blood," Mr Bingley said.
“I’ve had a lot of pleasure out of it, it’s been good to the property, good to me, and something I’ve always enjoyed doing.”
