GLENLEA Park Merino and Poll Merino stud at Pinnaroo has built a solid reputation for productive, top-quality sheep, and that same quality and attention to detail is evident in its new ram shed.
The shed – envied by many sheep breeders who attended the stud's successful 50th annual on-property sale in mid August – measures 30 metre by 11m and has a 2m overhang on both sides to cover the feed troughs.
For stud principals Peter and Marianne Wallis, it is about having good facilities to make working with sheep enjoyable.
Having the ram shed in addition to the dome shelter built about five years ago, and two other sheds, is also helping them save considerable amounts of time.
"It used to be time-consuming; every time someone came to look at rams we would have to go and get rams from the two other sheds so they were all together," Mr Wallis said.
"It is nice to have all the rams in the one spot."
He said driving the tractor and mixer wagon around the outside of the shed and auguring the feed into the troughs is now a ten-minute job.
The shed is built 2m above-ground, making it easy to get a bobcat under it to clean-out manure on a regular basis.
"The dome shelter had a removable floor, making it easy and quick to clean out, but the removable floor added extra cost to the construction which is why we went with the new shed 2 metres off the ground,” Mr Wallis said.
He made enquiries with a number of companies but went with Mount Pleasant-based company Magnus Australia who had also fitted-out their dome shelter next to the ram shed.
Mr Wallis said he was happy with Magnus Australia sales manager Brendan Loechel's design suggestions when working through the plans.
"We had been dealing with them before; their quality of workmanship is excellent and their contractors do a really great job," he said.
"In the end it was not just about price but getting the job done well."
Construction was finished in late January – in time to house this year's rams.
About 200 rams, including Glenlea Park's on-property sale rams, and teams for the Adelaide ram sale, Hamilton Sheepvention and Classings Classic sale, were in the shed this year for six months.
Mr Wallis said it would be possible to hold about 300 rams in total.
* Full report in Stock Journal, October 23, 2014 issue.