Merrydowns Romney and Southdown Stud owner Blair Robertson in a pen of his Romney stud sires at his 14th annual on-farm ram sale in Waikoikoi last week.
The pursuit to breed structurally sound, high-performing commercial rams continues in West Otago.
Merrydowns Romney and Southdown Stud owner Blair Robertson said prices were slightly up at his 14th annual on-farm ram sale in Waikoikoi last week.
Of the 123 Romneys on offer, 111 sold for an average of $1750, including a top price of $7000.
Of the 90 Southdowns on offer, 83 sold for an average of $1300, including a top price of $4800.
“It’s probably the best group of Romneys and Southdowns I’ve put up.”
Rams were sold to buyers between Wairoa and Invercargill “and everywhere in-between”.
The Sheep Improvement Limited figures for his flock had increased this season, particularly for the Romneys, he said.
Commercial traits in his flock continued to improve as the figures in the genetic evaluation database rise, he said.
When asked if he trusted the numbers, he replied: “I love the numbers, but there has got to be a sheep there. You’ve got to have a structurally-sound, high-performance, commercial animal first. There’s no point having high numbers and the rams can’t shag ewes or they’ve got crook feet and they pack up or they’ve got a short jaw and they won’t survive.”
Getting the sheep type and database numbers right was a balancing act, he said.
The family had been breeding sheep for more than a century and ran the biggest Southdown flock in the world, he said.
His Romney flock was “1200-ewes strong”.
“We are ridiculously tough on them in terms of culling and we are starting to see the benefits of that — we have bone, carcass and performance.”
He would continue to improve the flock and this season had bought three Romney rams from the North Island and a Southdown ram from Canterbury.
“They are four bloody good rams.”
Credit: Shawn McAvinue