Coryule Merino and Poll Merino stud is fast becoming an industry benchmark of consistent achievement.
Although the achievements for the 2017 show and selling season seemed hard to surpass, the stud is on track for an outstanding 2018, according to stud manager Craig Trickey.
In their debut at this year’s Australian Sheep and Wool Show (ASWS) ram sale in Bendigo, Coryule achieved a record price for a Merino ram – $20,000 and $12,000 for a poll sire with the stud’s sale team of three rams averaging a healthy $12,666.
The $20,000 ram was equal top with two other rams at this sale. The top priced ram was sired by Nerstane 120231 which they purchased a few years ago. Nerstane 120231 was the sire of one of the other top-priced rams in the sale.
“We are particularly proud two of the rams sold at ASWS went to studs in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania for stud sire duties,” Mr Trickey said.
“It’s quite exciting when you realise people are turning to your stud as a genetic source, it is the kind of endorsement that what you are doing is on the right track.”
It was also the stud’s first time presenting rams for sale at Hamilton Sheepvention, where they sold two rams to a top of $7000 and an average of $4450. Coryule also sold three rams at the Ballarat ram sale.
“We have had a very healthy start to the 2018 ram selling season, with 11 rams offered and sold to average $6204,” he said.
“So far this season Nerstane 120231 bred sons have averaged $7200 and we have semen available for sale from this top sire.”
And its success in show ring has not slowed down either. At Ballarat, Coryule took home reserve champion Merino ram exhibit along with the grand champion awards for fine wool ram, champion fine wool poll ewe and reserve grand champion fine wool ewe.
At Hamilton Sheepvention, Coryule then went on to collect the grand champion fine wool ram broad ribbon.
Coryule has also introduced genetic testing for parentage and to identify sheep carrying the double poll gene.
“We also tested all our 2017-drop rams and found a mix of poll, horned and sheep carrying both genes so this data will let us make much more strategic plans in our matings,” he said.
Coryule’s fourth on-property sale will be held this year on Tuesday, October 30, at the changed time of 1pm. The stud will present a line-up of 50 rams.
“The twilight sale worked quite well but we have been able to claim a day this year no other stud is selling on, so we have moved our sale to a 1pm start.”
The stud is maintaining its core clients and adding new ones at the same time, further confirming the industry’s support.
“The sale rams are March shorn and have been paddock run so they are in perfect shape to start working the minute our buyers get them home,” he said.
“Since the shearing we have had a late break, so they have done it particularly hard through the winter with short pasture feed, but have come out of that in excellent condition – we are very happy with their progress.”
During this year’s field day Coryule will also have its 2019 sale team on show, giving visitors the opportunity to see what is coming.
Mr Trickey said Coryule was determined to breed the best sheep they could that performed well in the region, which often has very wet winters.
“We are chasing good doing-ability and our sheep can be recognised as deep barrelled with bright, white, well crimped, free-growing wool.”
The commercial and stud sheep are run under similar conditions and the Coryule stud team expects the same high performance from both groups. They have about 450 stud ewes and 2000 commercial Merino ewes.
The commercial flock is shorn every eight months with the aim of achieving a 75 millimetre staple length in the ewes.
With the eight-month rotation this year’s shearing occurred in July and Coryule sold in August with a clip that exemplifies the type of wool they aim to breed with measurements of 17.4 micron, 72.6 per cent yield, 68mm staple length and across the whole clip, the strength was 45 to 52 newtons per kilotex.
Coryule Merino stud was founded in 2009, with bloodlines including Nerstane, Roseville and a splash of Charinga. The Poll Merino stud followed in 2012 and was boosted by the purchase of 20 embryos from Alfoxton and 50 poll Mulloorie ewes.
Details: For more information phone 0417 373 900, email craig@coryule.com or visit Coryule.com