Keith Buckingham has proved he can think outside the square when it comes to sourcing his replacement sheep.
A former fine-wool grower, who runs about 6000 wethers at Rutherglen in Victoria’s North East, Mr Buckingham swooped it all for station grazing, buying country with frontage to the Yanco Creek and then next door at South Columbo, Jerilderie, where he bred Poll Dorset prime lambs from wool-producing Merino ewes.
Increasingly, however, Mr Buckingham sees the opportunities to purchase suitable Merino ewes capable of doing his prime lamb job as becoming slimmer. So, at the young age of 74 - and looking deeply into his crystal ball - he believes that trying to source suitable station-bred lines in the coming years might become much more difficult and very, very expensive.
Holding that thought in mind he attended both Hay and Deniliquin sales this month and purchased 1100 classed breeders, from Mooloomoon at Moulamein, to which he will join to Goolgumbla Merino rams to breed his ewe replacements.
“I’m pretty excited about it all” Mr Buckingham said. “While I’ve been a fine wool-grower for most of my life I’ve never breed by own sheep for replacements which gives me a buzz”.
A devoted Collingwood supporter, Mr Buckingham said that the Magpies winning a premiership on the day of his birthday would also give him a thrill.
“They’ve had opportunity plenty and missed a lot so I don’t want that happening with my sheep”.