Napoleons woolgrowers Phyllis and Jack Lloyd are happy to be still making an annual pilgrimage to the woolstores to see their clip sold.
The fourth generation farmers, who are both over 90 years of age, have stuck to tried and tested methods of getting the best out of their small property just south of Ballarat.
The proof is in the prices the Lloyds received at the wool sales in Melbourne last week.
The top line of 10 bales sold for 1760 cents a kilogram greasy.
The wool measured 17.3 micron and yielded 75.1 per cent and had a tensile strength of 40 Newtons per kilotex.
The wool topped Arcadian Wool's catalogue last week.
Mr Lloyd said this year's wool price was a little lower than 2018, but the market was a little down.
He said the country was "light" and best suited to fine wool production.
"As far back as I know we have always run Merinos for wool production," he said.
"We just go along, we just concentrate on the wool side."
The clip average was around 17 micron from ewes and wethers.
The couple continue to operate their property with some assistance from family.
The Lloyds' daughter and son-in-law also help out when available.
Mr Lloyd said shearing the 700-head flock was now conducted at the start of the year, in January.
He said the size of the clip meant they had to fit in with the shearer when he was available.
"January is easier because we don't have to worry about the weather on fresh shorn sheep" he said.
"We only have one shearer, who has been coming for 16-17 years, and we do all the shed work except the classing.
"The wool is prepared then stacked in the shed during shearing and when it's all done our wool classer comes in an classes the fleeces and fills out the paperwork then we press it up."
Mrs Lloyd said they had cut back numbers from around 1000 head "as we got a little bit older".
The pair generally try to get to the woolstores each year to see their wool sold.
They also try to get to their ram supplier each year.
"We have been getting our rams from Graeme Harvey at Murgheboluc for years, we bought off his father as well," Mr Lloyd said.
"We generally buy a couple of rams each year to keep refreshing the bloodlines."
The Lloyds having been dealing with Arcadian Wool since the company's inception in 1985 and were long respected clients of the company, Malcolm Condie, Arcadian Wool, said.
Mr Condie said the Lloyds were also loyal clients of Poplars Merino stud at Murgheboluc, near Geelong.
"I've been buying the Lloyds' rams for them from Poplars Merino stud for the past five years," Mr Condie said.
"We select good upstanding rams, with well-nourished and well defined crimping wool."
Poplars stud principal Graeme Harvey said the Lloyds were great clients who had been buying rams from the Poplars for more than 50 years.
"The order is always for the finest, soft handling rams possible," Mr Harvey said.
"That suits their type of country. Jack still drives the truck down to pick up the rams each year."
