South
Australian Merino
SA Merinos and Poll Merinos were developed from strains introduced to
the Eastern states.
Many Australian flocks are based on bloodlines developed in the 1800s
by South Australian parent studs such as Bungaree, Cappeedee, Anlaby
and Collinsville.
Studmasters carefully improved their flocks over the years by working
to breed an early maturing animal with a big, plain body that could
travel long distances for food and water and adapt quickly to Australia’s
semi-arid pastoral zones.
There quest was successful, with SA Merinos accounting for a significant
proportion of the entire Australian wool clip.
Growing more wool than other strains in Australia, they need the minimum
of care and survive in the dry pastoral zones, in rainfall zones as
low as 140mm, and can adapt to higher rainfall districts that receive
up to 900mm.
High fertility is also a positive trait of the SA Merino, and ewes of
this strain provide the nucleus to the prime lamb industry when mated
with meat breed terminal sires such as the Suffolk, White Suffolk and
Poll Dorset in particular.
Some lamb producers prefer to use a Merino cross as their prime lamb
dams, with the Border Leicester Merino a popular choice.
The superior genetic performance of the South Australian Merino has
positioned it as adaptable for all conditions with exceptional wool
quality and meat characteristics.
