2011 President's Message

Welcome to the South Australian Stud Merino Sheepbreeders’ Association’s website, Merino SA’s information gateway to the calendar of our industry events throughout the state.

News is positive in SA with many producers having just experienced one of the best seasons on record. Pastoral areas have had plentiful rains and are rebuilding after many years of drought. As a result, sheep are in excellent condition throughout the state.

The constant drive by SA stud breeders to breed genuine, big, plain bodied ‘Dual Purpose Merinos’ with quick maturing bodies, good growth rates and carcase traits, plus top quality and heavy cutting fleeces is bringing handsome financial dividends.
This was very evident at the 2010 Adelaide Show Ram Sale that saw strong demand from all Australian mainland states and overseas, resulting in the excellent average of $5,490 and a top price of $39,000 for a Collinsville Poll Merino ram.

For commercial Merino producers who are receiving meat prices of close to $5/kilo for their lambs and not far below for mutton, plus most wool clips averaging $200/bale more than at the corresponding time last year; along with the increasing maternal value of the Merino ewe in various livestock enterprises, it is proving to be a very financially rewarding time to be running Merino sheep. With Merino ewe numbers at low levels and floods and droughts in other parts of the nation, the demand for breeding ewes is at an unprecedented high level and this looks likely to continue.

Displays at the Elders-sponsored Burra, Eyre Peninsula, South East, Karoonda and Yorke Peninsula Field Days and the Royal Adelaide Show, along with strong representation at Bendigo and Hamilton in Victoria give producers plenty of opportunity to inspect SA Merinos during the year.

At our Burra Field Days this year we welcome a new competition. The Ramsey Brothers and Case IH sponsored “All Purpose Pair of Ram Lambs Competition” is sure to create great interest. With a four wheel motorbike as first prize, the event will be keenly contested. We thank Ramsey Brothers and Case IH for their generous sponsorship of this new competition.

Please note that we have a change at the 2011 Elders SA Stud Merino Expo. On-Property Field Days will be on the Monday (21st March) and the Centralised Display at the Burra Oval will be on the Tuesday (22nd March).

On behalf of the management committee of Merino SA and personally, I would sincerely like to thank all of our valued sponsors for their commitment and ongoing support and trust producers will give them support in return. We wish all involved in the sheep industry a successful 2011.

John J Daniell
President
Merino SA