Merinos make their mark in Mallee

Duells sold the Murray Bridge market toppers at $178 in mid-September.

They sold the 252 1.5-year-old ewes, Kamora Netley Park and Radnor-blood, to a repeat buyer from Elders Rainbow, Vic, as well as 192, 5.5yo, ewes at $102.

But, it was not the highest price that the Duells had recorded at the sale - they received $230 in 2010.

Mr Duell, with wife Gail and children Kyle, 21, Sarah, 16, and Georgia, 14, runs a 1000-ewe self-replacing Merino flock, based mainly on Radnor and Kamora Netley Park bloodlines. He said Merinos were well suited to his 1600-hectare property at Bowhill, and an extra 600ha leased at Burdett, as they "lessened the risk".

"We get a good wool clip regardless, whereas cropping can be less reliable," Mr Duell said.

He grew up in the Mallee, with his father Len, a "good sheep man", and mother Margaret.

"I was brought up with my father's farming and breeding techniques," he said.

"As I got older, I began shearing more sheep, and did this for up to eight months of the year, then coming home to help dad with seeding, shearing and harvest."

It was in his travels that he began working for the late Eric Koehler, Radnor, Brinkley, via Murray Bridge, where he gained some of his best advice on breeding Merinos.

"Eric always said - never buy a ram that is under par, because it will haunt your flock for a long time," Mr Duell said.

"My father always bought the top rams at a sale as well."

In 2002, Mr Duell bought his own property and began running his own Merino flock.

He bought ewes from his father, and from other various flocks, and rams from Radnor, and Kamora Netley Park.

Kamora Netley Park was chosen because Mr Duell admired their approach to breeding.

"It's not just about the wool, they produce a big-framed, well-grown sheep as well," he said.

Mr Duell trialed crossbreeding for a year, but said it was not worth the effort.

"If you do the sums on pure Merino breeding, particularly since 2010, we receive up to $100 a wether lamb - good money for our breeding sheep - plus the wool cheque," he said.

"It was easier just to keep it simple with the one flock."

Mr Duell said good sheep production was 50 per cent breeding and 50pc management.

"You can see the difference of the better doers at a ram sale; 80pc is by vision, then we start looking at the wool, if it's nice and white," he said.

"The past few years we have really tried to buy that bright white wool on a big ram, and it has been showing in our clip, that's for sure."

The Duells start shearing sale sheep in early August, with the rest from mid-August.

In 2014, their flock cut 70 bales with the hoggets averaging 20 micron and the older sheep 21-22M.

Mr Duell said they recorded their best yields yet - up to 71.8pc.

"That's the highest we've recorded - it was 20.8M and sold up to 800 cents a kilogram greasy in Melbourne in October," he said.

"2014 was an exceptional sheep year.

"It's nice to go to the saleyards and see your sheep make high prices, you know then you're on the right track."