EACH year Baderloo Poll Merino stud principals Phil and Ann Hammat and family hold a "no-pressure" open day for fellow sheep breeders to inspect their sale rams at Spalding.
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The whole objective is for visitors to inspect the modern Poll Merinos without any pressure of sales, and the need to get there before anyone else or miss out. It also allows those not fully familiar with breeding values from extensive measured performance to ask questions and be more comfortable and proficient in interpreting the data available on each ram and matching it to their breeding needs and objectives.
In that respect, the August open day was a success with a good crowd of Merino enthusiasts inspecting the outstanding display of 310 paddock-reared Polls plus stud reserves.
The rams were presented extremely well, despite having been exposed to 332mm of rain in the previous three months. Wools were super-white with very soft handle and bold, well-defined crimp.
All the rams had their estimated breeding values under MerinoSelect on display, giving prospective buyers greater accuracy in assessing the qualities of each ram and its suitability to their program. Baderloo was backing-up from a successful 2012 ram-selling season which saw 250 rams go to the West Coast, Mid North and southern pastoral areas of the state, plus the Western Division of NSW.
*Full report in Stock Journal, October 24 issue, 2013.
