News
AG FAIR
Heading to Agfair on the 4th and 5th of May? So are we. We have a dispay in the MerinoSA pavilion with a selection of poll and merino rams and would love to see anyone who'd like to drop by.
We also have our new electronic tagging software at the stand which you can see in action, showing the benefits of being able to access large amounts of animal history at one 'wave of the wand'.
HIGH-TECH
In addition to joining the Merino Select program, we have also decided to electronically tag all the ewes and rams in the stud. The use of this software allows us to have one central location to store all information regarding any individual animal. Fleece information, carcase measurements, joining data, lambing results and visual assessments are all stored and able to be accessed by simply reading the electronic tag.
It's taking a bit of getting used to and the old dog-earred notebook is feeling neglected, but already we're rapt with the program and what it means for us in terms of making decisions with the most information possible and saving time in data entry.
MERINO SELECT
After some deliberation, we decided to join the Merino Select database run through Sheep Genetics. The opportunity to benchmark our stud against others in Australia and also get a better understanding of how our sheep are performing in both wool and carcase attributes will be of benefit to both us and our clients.
Look out for Southrose on the database www.sheepgenetics.org.au from the start of May this year.
CLASSIC
The Classings Classic this year was a cold and wet show which meant there were plenty of people in the tent and looking around.
As we expected, there was a lot of interest in 0105 and he sold to new client James Morgan for $6,000. However Southrose did retain semen rights so if you've seen the ram around the shows and would like to see what he can do in your upcoming breeding program, contact Jono for rates and quantities available.
The second two rams offered also sold well at $2,500 each to new client Mark Chadwick from Miga Lake in Victoria.
WOOLLY GOOD RESULT
Sorry, that heading is just woeful....
But it does reflect the result of the 2011 Annual Ram sale that was held on the 15th of November. Of the 63 rams (both Poll and Merino) offered, 61 sold with an average of $1050 and it was the wool that continued to impress the clients despite the obvious increase in the size of the rams.
Comments around the shed on the day came back to the fact that our clients rely on Southrose to breed rams whose wool delivers them consistent results in both quantity and quality.
And with clients ranging from areas such as Kangaroo Island with high rainfall, all the way out to the station country around Broken Hill it seems the Southrose wool continues to maintain its reputation.
We'd like to thank our clients - both old and new - for making the trip to the sale. It was a good day made even better by the fact that Jim and Hil were able to be home for the day to catch up with everyone.
IT FIGURES
The Meat and Fibre Class in Adelaide was a success for Southrose with Poll Merino ram 0105, taking a third in the Meat and Fibre class from a group of forty.
The massive class, judged on a combination of objective and subjective measurements, was an impressive sight with so many entrants, but the stand out figures for 0105 put him up the front. He will be offered for sale at the Classings Classic Sale on the 30th of September in Murray Bridge.
SALE CATALOGUE?
If you haven't received your annual Southrose sale catalogue in the mail, worry not - they are on their way. An unexpected delay with the printing has made them later than usual in the mail, but we're confident that they'll reach everyone before the sale.
In the interim, if you'd like to have a closer look at the line up before next week, click on the link through the ram sale page.
DON'T WEIGHT
The rams for the upcoming on property sale and Classings Classic sale have just been through the yards for weighing and they are a big bunch.
With the heaviest ram tipping the scales at 125.0kg and the average of the on-property sale group at 98.0kg they show exceptional growth for their age.
And the three rams heading to Classings Classic on the 30th of September average 112.6kg.
So don't wait around umming and ahhing about whether to make the trip to Southrose for the sale on the 15th of September, come along, join us for lunch and have a look at what our breeding program is delivering in terms of big, meaty rams with outstanding wool.
Full sale catalogue will be available through this site by Friday 2nd September.
WORTH THE TRIP
Southrose took a pen of five rams to Hamilton Ram Sale and it was well worth the trip. All five sold for an average of $1600 and we also gained three new clients.
EYE CATCHING RESULT
Southrose took two Poll Merino rams to the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo and were rewarded with a strong result in the relatively new All Purpose Class. Similar to the Meat & Fibre Class in Adelaide, rams are judged on a combination of objective and subjective measurements.
The decision to enter rams into the class can be something of a gamble being that rams are only scanned for their carcass traits on the morning of judging. We felt confident that they two rams entered were good examples of the bigger Southrose type, but even we were surprised to receive eye muscle measurements back of 41mm and 44mm! Those are figures that even the pure meat breeds would be impressed with.
One ram in particular, 0105 weighed in at 100.5kg, fat score of 7 and the second highest eye muscle of the entire class with 44 - all of this at just 13 months of age.
It's a sure sign that Southrose offer not only outstanding fine/medium wools, but also carcase traits that suit producers looking for good, meaty lambs at a young age.
