EASY care, shedding sheep were in strong demand at Genelink's second annual commercial production sale at Parilla last Friday with a total clearance of more than 200 rams and ewes to four states.
The sale comprised White Dorpers and a new breed, the Meatmaster, which Genelink stud principal Denis Russell has developed over the past 15 years.
"We were very pleased that there has been a broad uptake of the Meatmasters in both the low and higher-rainfall areas. We did not expect the sheep to compete in traditional prime lamb areas but people are looking for easy care, functional sheep," he said.
He said lifting the property's OJD score to five in the ABC program through an abattoir surveillance test had strengthened demand. It enabled Queensland buyers to operate with four rams selling to a Charleville client.
The 37 registered bidders also came from Bourke and Wilcannia, New South Wales; across South Australia including the South East, West Coast, Mid North and Kangaroo Island, and Victoria.
Sean O'Brien, Garryowen Pastoral, Kyancutta, had a big impact on the sale as both the top-priced buyer and a volume buyer - he paid the sale's $3200 top for a White Dorper ram and the $1500 top for three Red Meatmaster rams.
The top-priced Meatmaster ram was bought for $1800 by DM &JK Muster, Pinnaroo, who were also volume ewe buyers.
Commercial ewes were also keenly sought, topping at $490 for a pen of seven 2010-drop Meatmaster ewes with lambs at foot. They were bought by Mark and Maria Guider t/a A Lush Botanica from Woods Point. Tony Thompson, After Hours Ag, Bourke, NSW, was volume ram buyer.
Mr Russell described the sale as a "ripper" and was thrilled with the prices paid for commercial sheep.
"Buyers knew what they were after and some people who had been following the breeding program for some years decided to buy," he said.
The Meatmaster breed was developed from predominately Dorper genetics but also has a background of South African fat-tailed breeds.
Mr Russell said three primary targets of the Meatmaster were a full shedding, easy care sheep which was functional and had the ability to produce prime lambs to meet Australian standards.
Elders conducted the sale with Tom Penna the auctioneer.
* Extract from a full report in Stock Journal, November 3 issue.
