TOP SIRE 2026–2027 Annual Publication of NSW Stud Merino Breeders’ Association
NSW Brad Wilson 0417 467 911 VIC Stephen Chalmers 0427 908 831 WA Mitch Crosby 0438 918 992 On Property Sales Specialists Marketing Advice Sire Selection Semen Sales Leading Auctioneers Sheep Specialists Sheep Classing Breeding Advisory Access to Export Markets Market Insights Rick Power 0437 131 925 STUD STOCK GOING FURTHER FOR VIC Nick Farley 0427 529 335 WA Mitch Crosby 0438 918 992 Brad Wilson 0417 467 911 Rick Power 0437 131 925
CONTENTS Welcome – NSW President’s Message 3 New Members 6 Change of Ownership 7 2026 Merino Calendar Updates 9 Industry News 10 Merinos on Farm 22 Beyond the Farm 24 Classer Profiles 31 Hall of Fame 37 Vale 53 Show and Sale Results 65 Field Days 109 Flock Ewe Competitions 115 NSW SMBA Trust 136 NSW Merino Stud Directory 138 NSW Contact Index 151 Advertisers Directory 156 NSW STUD MERINO BREEDERS’ ASSOCIATION LTD Executive Officer: Rebecca Cooper A: PO Box 6227 Dubbo West NSW 2830 P: 02 9763 2744 M: 0431 876 485 E: office@merinonsw.com.au W: merinonsw.com.au President: Justin Campbell “Boonoke”, Deniliquin NSW 2710 P: 03 5884 6604 (Office) M: 0427 262 956 Snr Vice President: Malcolm Cox Jnr Vice President: Russell Jones Treasurer: Tony Gall Councillors: G.J. Alcock J.R. Barron M.W. Bazeley J.M. Bensley A.D. Beveridge J.A. Campbell R.T. Chalker D. Chapman M.J. Coddington M.K. Corkhill G. Cox J.A. Cox M.B. Cox P.B. Davis Life Governors: W.T. Armstrong S.D. Beveridge OAM L.R. Blanch J.R. Derrick W.J. Ferguson K.W.N. Henderson P.J.R. Hughes R.J. Lindsay J.G. McLaren The opinions expressed in contributed copy in this publication are those of the contributor, not necessarily the Association. All information contained in this publication was correct at time of printing. The publisher takes no responsibility for any errors that may occur. For additional copies, contact NSW SMBA – 02 9763 2744. Cover Image: RB Sellars A. Frost A.D. Gall R. Jones R.E. Kent G.K. Kopp Y.G. McKenzie H. McLaren G.N. Merriman J.C.G. Merriman C. Munro S.T. Picker A.M. Rayner M.K. Rubie I.G. Marwedel C.T. Merriman W.B. Merriman T.J. Moxham G.J. Privett O.M. Rayner P.S. Vickery G. Wells R.W. Wells OAM
An Aussie-owned and operated company supporting generations of farmers and livestock. Australian testing on home soil Australian Sheep Breeding Values Sheep Genetics Flock Profile Sheep Genetics Parent Verification Sheep Genetics gBV NATA accredited www.xytovet.com.au (08) 6383 8110
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 NSW PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE WELCOME TO THE 2026–2027 NSW SMBA TOP SIRE As we race towards the 2026–2027 ram selling season, stud Merino breeders are enjoying having the wind at our backs in the form of a bullish wool market, continued strong livestock demand and, for many, a return to at least reasonable seasonal conditions. The Merino story is always a great one and stud breeders love telling it, but people just listen better when it is framed against strong wool and sheep prices. I wish all stud Merino breeders every success with their ram selling for the coming year. In 2025–2026, the NSW Stud Merino Breeders’ Association’s focus was on those activities and expenditures that promoted commercial Merino breeding and the interests of our membership. Our support for the many flock ewe competitions was central to that strategy and this Top Sire spotlights the competitions, the enthusiasm of all involved and the benefits of sharing knowledge and experience in this format. A day in the company of likeminded people, looking at good sheep and listening to how others do it can be both therapeutic and motivational, and I recommend your participation in such events. As I have stated previously, I think that if we are to positively influence the future of the Merino industry that we are stronger and more effective as a united force. Working together we can combat the many obstacles that continue to nip at the fundamentals of our industry and, more importantly, we can educate, promote and advocate for the benefit of all in the industry. The NSW Stud Merino Breeders’ Association, in conjunction with the other state Merino bodies, have combined as members of the newly created Merino Australia Limited (MAL), which is now functional and finalising its operational requirements. I look forward to MAL developing its influence and being a unified voice for the Merino Industry. That doesn’t mean the NSW Stud Merino Breeders’ Association can relax. We are all aware that there is much to be done on many fronts. So, the Association will continue to support important industry events like the commercial ewe competitions, the NSW School Wether Challenge, Hay Inc and the Peter Westblade Scholarship. The Association will also continue to support and recommend animal welfare best practice, including the use of anaesthetics or analgesics in the mulesing debate, but we will not support any mandatory policy. The Association is fortunate to be supported in its endeavours by a number of generous sponsors and I thank and commend these businesses to you. We welcome XytoVet back for a third year as the Association’s Gold Sponsor. Our Silver Sponsors are Achmea Insurance, Shearwell and Zoetis, while StockLive has again come on board as a Bronze Sponsor. I would also like to thank AWN Rural, Elders and Nutrien for their support of the NSW Merino Calendar; I know it is at least a weekly reference point for me. In addition to our sponsors, the NSW SMBA is reliant upon the dedicated members who give so freely of their time and so willingly share their knowledge and expertise to ensure the Association maintains a professional operational standard and strives to meet its core objectives. James Derrick was recently made a Life Governor of the Association in recognition of his long involvement, which has included a term as President and his outstanding contribution in chairing the committee charged with the responsibility of overseeing the NSW SMBA Trust. Thank you and congratulations James. We are very fortunate to have a terrific group of people who have accepted the role of Councillors of our Association as well as an elite register of Life Governors, all of whom are identified at the front of the Top Sire. I encourage everyone who has any – 3 –
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 NSW PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE suggestions for advancing the objectives of our Association and the broader Merino industry, and indeed any concerns, to bring them to the attention of one of the people identified in that list so that they might be discussed at a meeting. The effectiveness and direction of the Association is reliant on an active membership. Sadly, I must also acknowledge the passing over the last year of two of the Association’s most stalwart patrons in Max Rayner and Stuart Beveridge OAM, both Life Governors, who have been fine examples of dedication and wise counsel to both the Association and the Merino industry in general. I extend my deepest sympathy to the Rayner and Beveridge families. There are some other families in our membership who are coping with the loss of a loved one this year and we share in their sadness and acknowledge the contribution made by the following to the Merino industry and its community: Margaret Barron, Craig Heath, Ken McCrabb, Peg Merriman and Joseph van Eyk. We are fortunate to have Rebecca Cooper fulfilling the role of Executive Officer. The recently revamped Association website is one of her milestone achievements since stepping into the role, but in general, Rebecca just makes sure things happen when the rest of us are doing our day-to-day battle at home. So, thank you Rebecca, and thank you to Julie Barron and Karina Merriman for your part in making sure the much-anticipated Top Sire comes to fruition each year. I appreciate that it can be akin to herding cats and this year’s Top Sire speaks volumes for your skill and effort. To finish, I would like to thank the Association’s Councillors for their commitment and participation, in particular the Executive of Malcolm Cox, Russell Jones and Tony Gall; immediate past President Hamish McLaren as well as the Chairs to our various committees including Greg Alcock, James Barron, Matthew Coddington, Mark Bazeley, Michael Corkhill, Garry Kopp, George Merriman and Cam Munro. Everyone is busy and your willingness to give of your time and wisdom is generous, invaluable and appreciated. Wishing everyone a fabulous Merino year. Best regards, Justin Campbell NSW SMBA President – 4 – Maximum Exposure Unmatched Reliability 1300 259 742 admin@stocklive.com.au www.stocklive.com.au Let us take the hard work out of sale day with our service packages: Live Webcasts, Audio Only Webcasts and Timed Online Auctions. Additionally, we offer tailored marketing add-ons, including website advertising, catalogue design, ram photography and videography! Australian-owned, we are committed tonsupporting our nation’s livestock industry. 100% Scan me
– 5 – Insurance issued by Achmea Schadeverzekeringen N.V. (Achmea) ABN 86 158 237 702 AFSL 433984. The information in this advertisement or article is general advice only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs (your personal circumstances). Before using this information to decide whether to purchase the insurance policy, you should consider your personal circumstances and the relevant Product Disclosure Statement, Target Market Definition and Stud Stock Policy Wording available from the ‘Important Documents’ section of our website www.achmea.com.au Scan the QR code to get started or visit www.achmea.com.au/online-cover Request a farm insurance quote from quote to policy in five easy steps Pay securely: Visa, Mastercard, (credit/debit card) and BPAY Bought a ram? Insure it online now Connect with your local achmea Farm Insurance Specialist 1800 724 214 achmea.com.au Proud Silver Sponsors of the NSW Stud Merino Breeders' Association Top Sire Magazine Insurance issued by Achmea Schadeverzekeringen N.V. (Achmea) ABN 86 158 237 702 AFSL 433984. The information in this advertisement or article is general advice only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs (your personal circumstances). Before using this information to decide whether to purchase the insurance policy, you should consider your personal circumstances and the relevant Product Disclosure Statement, Target Market Definition and Stud Stock Policy Wording available from the ‘Important Documents’ section of our website www.achmea.com.au Scan the QR code to get started or visit www.achmea.com.au/online-cover Request a farm insurance quote from quote to policy in five easy steps Pay securely: Visa, Mastercard, (credit/debit card) and BPAY Connect with your local achmea Farm Insurance Specialist 1800 724 214 achmea.com.au Proud Silver Sponsors of the NSW Stud Merino Breeders' Association Top Sire Magazine
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 NEW MEMBERS NEW MEMBERS In the past year there have been four studs registered with the NSW Stud Merino Breeders’ Association. Contact details for these studs are contained in the NSW Merino Stud Directory 2026–2027 in the back pages of this publication. Coonong Poll Poll F. No 6029 – Urana This stud was registered in February 2026 by Sophie and Tom Holt following the purchase of 17 doses of semen from Terrick West Poll and 25 ewes transferred from Coonong, F. No. 25. SPC (St Paul’s College) Poll F. No. 6030 – Walla Walla SPC was founded in May 2025 by St Paul’s College, Walla Walla, with the purchase of six ewes and six doses of semen from Meadow View, Poll F. No. 1399. The stud was successfully registered in June 2026. Tarrangower Poll Poll F. No. 6027 – Hillgrove This stud was founded in 2012 by David and Angie Waters, Hillgrove, with the purchase of one ram from Alfoxton Poll, F. No. 1333, and the transfer of 60 ewes from Tarrangower, F. No. 4107. In 2015, 33 ewes were purchased from Deeargee Poll, F. No. 1339. The stud was successfully registered in December 2025. Yalgoo Valhalla F. No. 6028 – Walcha This stud was founded in February 2025 by Jock Nivison with the transfer of two rams, 150 ewes and 150 doses of semen from Yalgoo, F. No. 1552. The stud was successfully registered in February 2026. – 6 – SCHUTE BELL Schute Bell Badgery Lumby Yennora Head Office Ph 02 9892 0700 Fax 02 98920721 Wool Office Ph 02 9892 0712 www.schutebell.com.au Professional & Personalised •Wool Brokers •Livestock Marketing •Stock & Station Agents •Rural Property Marketing • Real Estate Agents •Finance Providers • Insurance Agents •Merchandise Providers •Clearing Sales
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP In the past year, three registered studs have changed hands within the NSW Stud Merino Breeders’ Association membership. Contact details for these studs are contained in the NSW Merino Stud Directory 2026–2027 in the back pages of this publication. East Loddon Poll Poll F. No. 6014 – Wanganella East Loddon Merino Stud was founded in 1985 by William and Diane Hooke. It transitioned to a Poll Merino flock from the late 1990s before officially registering the East Loddon Poll Merino stud in August 2022, trading as East Loddon Pastoral, with the purchase of 100 doses of semen from Karbullah Poll, F. No. 1365, and the transfer of 11 rams, 1033 ewes, 502 ram lambs and 520 ewe lambs being their own entire flock East Loddon, F. N. 4158. In 2026, Thomas and Sarah Hooke took over as stud principals. Greenland F. No. 4188 | Poll F. No 1109 – Bungarby This stud was founded in March 1987 by J. E. Alcock with the purchase of 19 ewes from Springhead, F. No. 3885, and 35 ewes from Brooklyn Valley, F. No. 3307. In 1999, J.R. Alcock was taken into the partnership and traded as J.E. and J.R. Alcock. Greenland Poll was established in 1989 by John Alcock, with the purchase of 65 ewes from Emu Hill, Poll F. No. 995. In January 2026, Greg and Nikki Alcock took over ownership of both studs, trading as Alcock Family Partnership. Winyar Poll Poll F. No. 1328 – Cassilis James Armstrong, trading as Cassilis Park Pty Ltd, has purchased the entire Winyar Poll Merino stud from Allan and Susan Dawson, formerly Canowindra. This stud was founded in September 2004 by Allan and Susan, with the purchase of one ram from Stockman, Poll F. No. 1050, and 60 ewes from North Ashrose, Poll F. No. 1226. Winyar Poll will continue at “Cassilis Park”, running alongside Coddington Uardry Poll and Cassilis Park Merino and Poll Merino studs. – 7 – Geoff & Robyn Rayner . Sally’s Flat NSW Sydney Royal Easter Show 2026 results ■ 2nd ~ RAS Merino March Shorn Pair of the Year ■ Reserve Junior Champion March Shorn Ewe ■ Champion Ultrafine Wool March Shorn Merino Ram ■ Grand Champion Ultrafine Wool Merino Ram Annual Ram Sale ~ Friday 6th November 2026 ............................................................................................................. Geoff’s mobile: 0428 288 075 Email: rayner64@bigpond www.pomanaramerinostud.com.au SEMEN AVAILABLE The Riverina Stud Merino Field Days Association Inc. Perpetual Trophy, for the RAS Pair of the Year Competition Grand Champion Ultrafine Wool Merino Ram 15.5 micron . 2.2 SD . 13.9 CV . 100 CF 14.3 SF . cut 11kg wool
– 8 –
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 CALENDAR UPDATES 2026 MERINO CALENDAR UPDATES EVENT NEW DATE PREVIOUS DATE CONTACT DETAILS NYNGAN AG EXPO Nyngan Showgrounds Saturday 1 August 2026 – nynganag@gmail.com nynganagexpo.com OVERLAND Bogan Gate – now an on-property sale Wednesday 9 September 2026 – Tony Magill, 0428 641 115 Jake Magill, 0474 234 599 EAST LODDON POLL Wanganella, on-property ram sale Thursday 10 September 2026 Thursday 3 September 2026 Tom Hooke, 0409 399 191 WEEALLA / RABY Balladoran, on-property ram sale Tuesday 15 September 2026 Friday 18 September 2026 Stuart McBurnie, 0483 377 747 / 02 6887 9266 The 2026 NSW Merino Calendar is proudly sponsored by 2027 NSW Merino Calendar – Entries close Friday 26 September 2026 – 9 – TAMBUA POLL MERINO STUD Accredited Ovine Brucellosis, Footrot & Ovine Johnes Free. Stud & commercial rams available Inspections invited Contact Paul & Jane P: (02) 6837 3623 Michael & Kate P: (02) 6837 3622 M: 0447 732 033 E: tambuastation@gmail.com F. No. 564 | Est. 1974 Quality Western Bred Fine Wool Poll Merinos Tambua Poll Merino Stud was established in 1974 on Eudora bloodlines and more recently Airlie Poll Merinos & Jolly Jumbuck QLD bloodlines. Tambua Poll Merino Stud have a long tradition of producing top quality western bred ne wool Poll Merinos that produce a heavy cut of long staple, bright white so handling 18-micron wool.
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 INDUSTRY NEWS AMPT DELIVERS POWERFUL PERFORMANCE AND PROFITABILITY INSIGHTS The Australian Merino Production Trial (AMPT), Australia’s largest independent evaluation of commercial Merino genetics, continues to redefine how Merino genetics are evaluated, benchmarked and understood by commercial producers and Merino stud breeders alike. The 2025–2027 trial brought together 74 teams from every state in Australia, representing more than 450,000 breeding ewes and some of the country’s most progressive Merino enterprises. The importance of the trial is validated through the participation of four of the top ten wool growers by volume in Australia. The trial provides a unique opportunity to assess genetic performance under identical environmental and management conditions, delivering insights that are impossible to capture within individual flocks. AMPT convenor, Craig Wilson, Redgum River Pastoral Company, has spent more than two decades collecting benchmarking data in Merino sheep across several locations. The latest results have marked another significant milestone for the project with the completion of the first major meat and wool assessments. “The results continue to highlight the substantial variation between bloodlines and reinforce the importance of objective measurement when making breeding decisions,” Craig said. – 10 –
BENCHMARKING GENETIC CAPACITY At its core, the AMPT has been designed to measure the genetic component of a sheep’s capacity to produce profit. By removing much of the environmental noise that can influence performance, the trial allows genetics to be compared on a level playing field. The latest results demonstrated considerable variation between teams across a range of commercially important traits, including wool production, growth, feedlot performance, carcass merit and eating quality. These differences ultimately translate into significant profitability outcomes for commercial producers. Importantly, the trial has continued to show that superior genetics can generate substantial economic advantages without necessarily increasing production costs. “When AMPT teams were adjusted for site and age group and ranked together, the total sheep value ranged from $170.39 to $229.94 per head, representing a 35% difference between the highest and lowest-performing genetics. Total sheep value per dry sheep equivalent (DSE) ranged from $137.36 to $180.57, representing a 31% difference in profitability and highlighting the substantial opportunity for producers to improve enterprise performance through informed breeding decisions,” Craig explained. WOOL PERFORMANCE REMAINS A KEY DRIVER The 2026 shearing evaluation provided valuable insights into fleece value and wool production traits. Large differences were observed between teams for fleece weight, fibre diameter, staple characteristics and overall fleece value, reinforcing the role genetics play in determining wool enterprise profitability. The AMPT platform enables participants to understand not only how their genetics perform, but also where they sit relative to industry peers. This benchmarking capability remains one of the trial’s most valued outcomes and is increasingly being used by breeders to guide selection decisions and communicate performance to clients. – 11 – Available at your local rural retailer | Sheep & Cattle tags you can rely on | shearwell.com.au | Call 1800 998 934 Tag well with Shearwell NLIS eID & visual tags for sheep & goats Ideal for lamb marking - quick & easy The NEW Shearwell Speedy Tagger is compact, lightweight and engineered to make tagging easy and e ortless. Designed for use with Shearwell one-piece eID and visual tags, load a strip of ten tags in seconds and start tagging.
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 INDUSTRY NEWS CARCASS AND EATING QUALITY DELIVER NEW OPPORTUNITIES One of the most exciting findings from the 2025–2027 AMPT, so far, has been the level of variation observed in meat production and eating quality traits. Nearly 1000 lambs were assessed for intramuscular fat (IMF), an important indicator of eating quality. The average IMF result across the trial was 5.2% with considerable variation observed between genetic groups. These findings highlight the opportunity for breeders to make meaningful gains in eating quality while maintaining performance across other production traits. As global consumers increasingly focus on eating experience and product consistency, the ability to identify and select genetics that deliver both high wool value and high meat value is becoming increasingly important. CONNECTING BREEDERS TO MARKET SIGNALS The AMPT is uniquely positioned to connect genetic performance with real market outcomes. Through partnerships with Meat and Livestock Australia, Fletcher International Exports, Moses and Son wool brokers and industry service providers participants receive a clearer understanding of how genetic differences influence profitability across the entire supply chain. The project continues to strengthen the link between seedstock breeders and commercial producers by providing independently measured data that can be used with confidence when making breeding and purchasing decisions. Photo captions. 1– Des Ryan, Temora; Glen Rubie, Lachlan Merinos, Forbes, and Steve Phillips, Yarrawonga, Harden, in discussion at AMPT. 2– The AMPT held its 2026 shearing at “Harefield”, near Wagga Wagga, where 1200 wethers were shorn, giving producers a great opportunity to engage with the program. (Photos: Supplied) 1– 2– – 12 –
For stud breeders, the trial offers a valuable opportunity to validate breeding objectives and demonstrate the commercial relevance of their genetics under real-world production systems. LOOKING AHEAD With additional assessments still to be completed throughout the 2025–2027 trial, the depth of information available to participants will continue to grow. Future reports will further quantify whole-animal productivity, profitability, wool value and lifetime production efficiency, providing one of the most comprehensive evaluations of Merino genetics ever undertaken in Australia. As the Merino industry continues to pursue greater productivity, profitability and sustainability, the AMPT is helping breeders make more informed decisions and identify the genetics best equipped to meet the demands of the future. “The message emerging from the 2026 results is clear: genetic variation matters, objective benchmarking works and the greatest opportunities for industry advancement lie in understanding and harnessing the true capacity of our sheep,” Craig concluded. Discover more about the two new Australian Merino Production Trials commencing in WA in November 2026 and NSW in April 2027. >> australianmerinoproductiontrial.com NEW TRIALS COMING – 13 – Local, specialist & Direct farm insurance Get a quote | Update YOUR policy | Make a claim | general Enquiries 1800 724 214 achmea.com.au Insurance issued by Achmea Schadeverzekeringen N.V. (Achmea) ABN 86 158 237 702 AFSL 433984. Always read the PDS and TMD available from achmea.com.au/important-documents.
1.Toribio, J; Bush, R; Windsor, P. (2004). A Study of the Biological and Economic Impact of OJD in affected Sheep Flocks in NSW. OJD.023, MLA Limited. Zoetis Australia Pty Ltd. ABN 94 156 476 425. Level 6, 5 Rider Boulevard, Rhodes NSW 2138. © 2024 Zoetis Inc. All rights reserved June 2024. ZL2002 Remember the EWE losses YEAR 5 GUDAIR PROTECTS YOUR SHEEP FROM OJD WITH A SINGLE DOSE FOR LIFE of adult sheep from infected flocks1 Each year OJD kills 6.2% ALWAYS USE A GUDAIR SAFETY VACCINATOR Stops Lame Lambs (Erysipelas arthritis) Protects your Wool Cut Protects Meat Quality More Lambs to Sell Easy to use & Convenient ERYSIPELAS ARTHRITIS 5 CLOSTRIDIAL DISEASES CHEESY GLAND (CLA) BOOSTED WITH VITAMIN B12 ALL IN A 1ML DOSE THE NEW GOLD STANDARD OF SHEEP VACCINES Zoetis Australia Pty Ltd. ABN 94 156 476 425. Level 6, 5 Rider Boulevard, Rhodes NSW 2138. © 2023 Zoetis Inc. All rights reserved. May 2023. ZL1704.
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 INDUSTRY NEWS COMMERCIAL PRODUCERS SEE VALUE IN BOOKHAM WETHER TRIALS The Bookham Agricultural Bureau’s wether trial has been running for more than 50 years, providing valuable feedback to local producers. In April 2026, trial convenors wrapped up the final shearing of their most recent four-year trial. Teams of ten wethers were randomly drafted at each entrant’s property before being delivered to “Deepwater”, Bookham, where they were hosted by Doug and Helena Painting and run as a commercial wether flock across 700 hectares of grazing country. Phil Graham, Graham Advisory, Yass, has helped run wether trials with Bookham Agricultural Bureau for almost 40 years and said trials such as this helped give commercial producers a solid benchmark on the dollar returns from their sheep compared to others in the industry. “These trials have been run by commercial producers because they see value in the data it provides them in making a decision about the sheep genetics they use,” he said. “The trial always runs for four years because the producers want to see the longer-term productivity which resembles their ewe flocks.” There were 35 teams in the trial, including two teams from registered Merino studs, which came from the local district and as far away as the Monaro region. The trial started in 2023, which marked the 50-year anniversary of the wether trial. A natural disaster threatened to derail the benchmark testing in the first year when flooding resulted in the loss of some of the trial sheep and some teams finished the trial with less than half their starting wethers. The final results were divided into three categories: teams with seven or more wethers, teams with less than seven and stud teams. The average shearing income per animal was calculated from each annual shearing during the trial and combined with an average carcass income per head, based on an estimated carcass weight at the end of the trial. Tony Armour, Glenrock Partnership, Bookham, topped the commercial category with $521.44 in total income and also the highest total wool income over the trail’s four years at $341.59. Tony has participated in the Bookham trial since the 1980s and recently retired from running 3000 superfine Merino ewes. Closely behind was Kingslea Partnership, Bookham, which returned $520.69 in total income and a total wool income of $341.34, with only four of their wether team remaining at the conclusion of the trial. The trial averaged $301.13 per head for wool income and $173.94 per head for carcass, giving a total income average of $475.08 per head for the four-year trial. Phil said the advantage of wether trials like Bookham Agricultural Bureau’s was that all stock were run under the same conditions. “The differences in the final body weight were not as large as producers expected,” he said. “Teams that come from areas to the west of Bookham are the biggest at the start due to an age advantage, but they usually end up around the trial average for body weight by the end.” He explained that the final results showed a variation between teams of $105 per head for wool income and $44 per head for carcass income. “Teams that decided on increasing carcass value and letting wool income drop had lower income as the carcass value could not offset the income lost over the four shearing events,” he said. “It’s very simple – you get one carcass value and four to five fleece values in their lifetime.” or more wethers, teams with less than seven and stud teams. – 15 –
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 INDUSTRY NEWS NEW RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS WOOL’S NATURAL ADVANTAGE Recent research on biogenic carbon flows is reshaping how the environmental footprint of wool production is assessed. Traditionally, life cycle assessments (LCAs) of livestock industries have focused almost entirely on greenhouse gas emissions, in particular methane from sheep flocks. However, emerging science around biogenic carbon flows is illustrating a more balanced and accurate picture of carbon dynamics within grazing systems, particularly for Merino wool enterprises, and the benefits are surprising. Biogenic carbon refers to carbon that cycles naturally through plants, animals, soil and the atmosphere. In a grazing wool enterprise, sheep consume pasture that has captured carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, which then moves through the animal and is returned to the system via manure, respiration, methane emissions, soil organic matter and in the wool fibre itself. Unlike fossil carbon from coal, oil or gas, this carbon is part of a continuous natural cycle rather than an additional input to the atmosphere. New research, published in Agricultural Systems in March 2026, provides new framework that challenges the current emissions-only approach to environmental impact. Applying the ISO 14067:2018 standard, which specifically recognises the difference between fossil-based and biogenic carbon, researchers re-estimated carbon footprints from six representative Australian wool enterprises to include biogenic factors and measure these flows more accurately. The research, written by James Blignaut, Paul Swan and Lemuel Blignaut, demonstrated that when biogenic carbon cycling is included in environmental accounting, the carbon intensity of wool production is significantly reduced compared with conventional emission-only models. Depending on farm systems and assumptions around manure and soil carbon retention, the estimated footprint of wool production was reduced by between 35% to 100% in some case studies. This shift occurs because traditional assessments often ignored the large quantities of carbon returned to soils through grazing systems. Researchers found that more than half of the carbon consumed by wool sheep can be returned to the landscape via manure, contributing to soil health and carbon storage. Wellmanaged grazing systems can therefore play an important role in maintaining soil organic matter and supporting broader ecosystem functions. The wool fibre itself is also a form of carbon storage. Wool contains around 50% organic carbon by weight, effectively storing atmospheric carbon in a durable natural fibre until the product reaches the end of its life. As a renewable fibre that Unlike fossil carbon from coal, oil or gas, this carbon is part of a continuous natural cycle rather than an additional input to the atmosphere. – 16 –
regrows annually, Merino wool represents a continuous biological carbon flow rather than a one-way emission pathway typical of fossil-derived materials. For Australian wool growers, this research is important as global textile markets increasingly scrutinise fibre sustainability. Improved carbon accounting methods better reflect the biological nature of grazing systems and highlight the role wellmanaged Merino enterprises can play in carbon cycling and landscape health. As research continues, integrating biogenic carbon flows into environmental reporting may provide the wool industry with stronger scientific evidence of its sustainability credentials, helping position Australian Merino wool as a natural fibre aligned with the future low-carbon economy. Source – Matthew Coddington. CH4 CO2 from atmosphere CO2 returns to plants Photosynthesis and grass growth Grazing sheep and wool production Methane, CO2 and Manure THE BIOGENIC CARBON CYCLE IN A MERINO WOOL ENTERPRISE Methane breaks down in 12 years CO2 CO2 – 17 – "Still Breeding Bale Filling Merinos"
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 INDUSTRY NEWS CSIRO RESEARCH INTO DISEASE RESILIENCE TRAITS Disease is a significant financial burden on the Australian sheep industry with the top five sheep diseases costing the industry approximately $1.5 billion, according to research commissioned by Meat and Livestock Australia. Among the largest contributors to these costs are internal parasites, weaner failure-to-thrive and flystrike. While chemical and management strategies remain essential, research indicates that measuring resilience traits in Merino flocks could be a useful resource for producers. Amy Bell, a senior experimental scientist at CSIRO Armidale, led a recent multi-year project focused on immune competence and its role as a component of resilience, building on data generated through Merino Lifetime Productivity Projects (MLP) in partnership with Australian Wool Innovation (AWI). “We know that throughout an animal’s life in the production environment they are exposed to stressors, which are things that can make it challenging for them to be productive,” Amy said. “What we looked for as part of our research was how we could develop tools for farmers to use so that they can identify those animals that cope best with those stressful situations and, if they do go through a period of stress, that they are able to remain productive or return to productivity as quickly as possible.” With access to phenotype and genotype information for over 5000 animals through the MLP, Amy highlighted the value of having a large number of industry-relevant animals available for testing. “If we are looking at a new trait, we want to have a really good handle on potential correlations and what the heritability of this trait looks like in a commercial setting,” she explained. “If we are expecting people to use this information in their production environments, we wanted to make sure that what we were measuring was what farmers and sheep producers would see in a typical commercial operation.” Amy explained that the immune competence trait was complex. “We looked at this as an opportunity to measure a wide range of traits relating to production and health in these animals, particularly during that challenging time from weaning to yearling age,” she said. “For the measurements relating to immune competence, we focused on a time in the animal’s life when they were under a reasonable amount of stress because animals respond differently when they’re under stress compared to when they’re not.” The project immune competence measurements were conducted in the period around weaning, when the lambs were around three-and-a-half months of age. Lambs received a clostridial vaccination at marking and again on the day the yard weaning process commenced, about six to seven weeks post-marking. Blood samples were collected two weeks into the weaning – 18 –
process to analyse the animals’ antibody-mediated immune responses to components of the clostridial vaccine. Researchers examined the levels of circulating antibodies in the samples, where a higher number of antibodies indicated a stronger antibody response from that animal in response to components the vaccine. “The higher the response, the better we think that animal has responded to that vaccine and hopefully the better it will respond to that pathogen in the environment.” The second part of the immune competence phenotype was to measure cell-mediated immunity, which involves a different aspect of the immune response. “This is more to do with the viruslike pathogens,” Amy explained. To measure this, Amy said they gave a small amount of vaccine into the skin and measured the size of the resulting lump 48 hours later. “We put the two bits of information from these independent aspects of an immune response together to come up with an overall immune competence value for that animal,” she said. The focus then shifted to creating a genomic tool that integrated information about the genetic relationships and correlations between immune competence and various production and health traits. This tool aimed to provide growers with genomic predictions for immune competence, allowing them to assess how potentially resilient the animal might be compared to how susceptible it might be. “We found there’s really favourable correlations between this immune competence trait that we’ve developed and things like worm egg count (WEC) and dag,” Amy said, noting the trait had also shown to have good heritability. “We didn’t see strong correlations with things like body weight or fleece traits, which is good because it tells us that we can select animals to be productive but also select them to have some of these resilience parameters as well. It’s providing a pretty good tool to have in that whole toolbox of options and providing the best chance for growers to identify resilient animals in the population.” Off the back of this research, a new genomic index was developed and released by Neogen, in partnership with CSIRO, SheepGenetics and AGBU, supported by the MLA Donor Company under the National Livestock Genetics Consortium. The commercial release of ImmuneDex was announced in May 2026. – 19 –
“ www.xytovet.com.au (08) 6383 8110 I see my role as being at the intersection of genetic improvement, data-driven decision making, and practical on-farm gains for our farmers. “ Jack Briscoe VIC, SA, TAS 0487 030 637 jack@xytovet.com.au Hannah Anderson NSW, QLD 0437 881 676 hannah.anderson@xytovet.com.au Zali Beech WA 0457 310 288 zali@xytovet.com.au Jason Ledger Managing Director 0417 938 067 jason@xytovet.com.au We sell our animals at a young age, so quick and accurate parentage validation is important for our business. Hannah is able to turn around results quickly and is available to talk whenever we need help or clarification. We would happily recommend XytoVet to other producers looking for reliable DNA testing services to get the most out of their sheep farming business. “ “ Matthew Coddington Roseville Park Hannah NSW / QLD Genetic Sales Consultant
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 INDUSTRY NEWS MUNSIE’S VBC EXCELLENCE AWARD A Northern Tablelands wool-growing family has been recognised for over 50 years of dedicated breeding, receiving the prestigious 2025 Vitale Barberis Canonico Wool Excellence Award. The award was presented in Melbourne in November, where VBC Chief Executive Officer Alessandro Barberis Canonico commended the achievements of the Munsie family, “Big Ridge”, Uralla, and acknowledged their commitment to superfine Saxon Merino wool production. “The Wool Excellence Club is built on a shared belief – belief in quality, in sustainability and in the people who make this industry extraordinary,” he said. “Richard and his family embody this belief through their dedication and care for their land, their animals and producing this beautiful fibre.” The family’s entry under the GMunsie / Big Ridge / N.E. brand was a 16-micron clip which yielded 76 to 78% with a tensile strength of 40 to 45 Newtons per kilotex in grown wool. Richard and his family run 950 self-replacing Merino ewes in the Uralla district as well as 600 first cross ewes and backgrounding Angus steers. He returned to the farm 12 years ago, joining the successful partnership with his father, Greg, and his uncle, Peter, that had already been established. “My father did most of the husbandry and my uncle took care of the breeding and classing,” Richard said. “My uncle was all about the wool and his judgement was pretty good. Whatever you produce, it should be high quality. When you produce something, you should be getting the best price for the quality,” Richard said. Receiving the award was a bittersweet moment for Richard, who paid tribute to his late father. “I am standing here today, accepting this award on behalf of my family and all the years of hard work that have got us to this point,” he said, when accepting the award. “Without their commitment and dedication, I would not be here in this position receiving this award. I hope that I can carry this legacy forward and keep improving into the future for the next generation. 1– 2– Photo captions. 1– Richard Munsie and son Asher, with Greg and Peter. 2– Greg and Peter Munsie inspecting fleeces at their property “Big Ridge”, Uralla. (Photos: Supplied) – 21 –
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 MERINOS ON FARM BREEDING TO THE MERINO’S STRENGTH AT ROCKVIEW AG The Molloy family have positioned themselves among Australia’s top wool producers through a blend of strict classing and defined breeding objectives in their Merino flock. Josh Molloy, along with his father Michael and younger brother Matthew, operate Rockview Ag, a mixed farming operation consisting of a balanced commitment to both cropping – primarily wheat, barley, vetch, and canola – and a thriving sheep enterprise. Spanning 1920 hectares at Yerong Creek, with additional blocks at nearby Henty and The Rock, the Molloy’s sheep operation consists of 4000 Merino ewes. Around 45% of the Molloy’s ewes are joined to a White Suffolk sire for their prime lamb operation with the remaining ewes joined to Merino sires with a solid focus on wool production. Josh Molloy heads the sheep breeding program for the family partnership and said they aimed to produce a medium-framed sheep that achieves reasonable growth while selecting for fibre diameter and fleece weight. “I’m a big believer in breeding an animal to its strengths and, for the Merino, that’s wool,” Josh said. The Molloy’s breeding program employs several benchmarking tools, one of which is feedback provided from the Australian Merino Production Trial (AMPT). In their third year of entering the AMPT, Rockview Ag wethers returned the highest value fleeces from the 2026 shearing, averaging $98.60 across the team. The fleece produced 7.7kg GFW and 4.5kg CFW with a 17.2-micron fibre diameter, 3-micron SD, 17.7% CV and 99.7% CF. Josh said they had seen their results consistently improve with each trial. “Since the first year we entered, we have focused more Photo caption. Josh Molloy, owner of Rockview Ag with his father Michael and brother Matthew, at their farm at Yerong Crek. (Photo: Alexandra Bernard, The Land) – 22 –
heavily on fleece weight,” he said. “We were about middle of the pack initially. We cut 6kg GFW then and we are now around 7kg GFW of 17-micron wool, which is an extra $14 to $15 per head at recent prices.” On-farm, they follow a tight six-week joining period to produce a July/August lamb. White Suffolk sires are put in with about 1750 ewes in early February for the prime lamb operation and the joining period for the self-replacing Merino flock follows two weeks later. Ewes are scanned for multiples and any older dry ewes culled from the flock. The entire ewe lamb portion is retained each year with some wethers retained as wool cutters when the season allows. Josh said they might retain 50% of the wether lambs to hogget age in good seasons but made the choice to sell off the 2024-drop wether lambs due to limited feed. With the jump in lamb prices in 2025, he said it made sense to sell. The main shearing for the operation is in January each year, however the Merino lambs are shorn in late March before joining the 12-monthly cycle where their fleeces are micron tested and weighed. Ewe hoggets are classed for basic conformation before being joined, with around 20% culled, before being run through another classing based on the fleece values from their second shearing, resulting in another 10% being culled. The Molloy’s have introduced a ranking system for the flock, allowing them to easily identify the better performing sheep in their system. Josh said that they rank the flock into four groups, representing the top 25% through to the bottom 25% and identifying them by colour. They have also recently introduced a fifth colour tag to identify the top 5% of the flock. “We are constantly classing them up,” Josh explained. “There is a 30% difference in fleece weight between the tops and the culls. Once we are past that initial cull on conformation, that bottom 25% slowly end up being culled.” While there was some variation in fleece weights, Josh said there was little difference in the micron across the flock. “It’s so even across the flock now – we can’t see any difference in the bale between the keep and the cull sheep.” Aside from the measured data, Josh said he focused heavily on visual wool quality. “Our focus is really heavily over the shoulder for any colour band, fleece rot or unscourable colour. We have no tolerance for that.” Keeping fleeces as white as possible was a key focus. “I like to think that the whiter you can have that wool, the more attractive it’s going to be to buyers.” – 23 – Hosted by Riverina Merino To be held at Wednesday, August 26th, 2026 riverinasheepwoolexpo riverinasheepandwoolexpo Proudly supported by www.riverinasheepwoolexpo.com
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 BEYOND THE FARM A SWEATY GYM SESSION SPARKED SIR W. MERINO Jock Merriman grew up in the Merino wool industry, though it wasn’t until later in life that he truly appreciated the value of Merino wool clothing from the eyes of a consumer. This newfound appreciation was sparked by a simple yet significant event: a sweaty gym workout wearing a sample t-shirt made from Australian Merino wool. This t-shirt not only changed his perspective but also set larger wheels in motion, leading him to explore the potential of Merino wool in men’s fashion. Jock’s family has a rich history in the Merino breeding industry, spanning five generations and more than 145 years. Growing up on the family’s Merino stud near Boorowa, Jock recalls wearing few wool garments. “We didn’t wear it much because there wasn’t a lot available aside from the big, heavy knit sweaters,” he said. Jock’s view of Merino clothing would change in his adult life when he was gifted a grey Merino t-shirt sample by a colleague at Australian Wool Innovation. “I wore it to the gym and sweated it out one day. The next day, it was back to normal,” he remembered. “I had this light bulb moment.” The qualities of Merino wool were already well understood by Jock, though he found a new level of appreciation for the fibre after wearing it that day. Accustomed to polyester-based activewear and cotton-blend corporate work shirts, Jock said he assumed that clothes were simply meant to smell bad by the end of each workout or workday. – 24 –
Surprised at the low odour and quick drying qualities of the Merino wool shirt, he more carefully considered the clothing in his wardrobe. Jock remembered thinking, “Why am I going to work every day in this sweaty, smelly shirt when we have this fibre available to us.” He likened a quality Australian Merino garment to tequila. “In Australia, tequila is cheap and makes you vomit. Then you try the good stuff from Mexico or the US and it’s smooth – wool clothing is the same. Once you try quality Australian Merino wool, there is no comparison.” Jock researched the idea of manufacturing his own Merino wool clothing but found challenges in the Australian market. “Everything available in Australia was really only in suiting or luxury wear,” he said. “There was nothing in the activewear space or anything suitable to wear to work five days a week.” His vision for this concept was different, with practicality and function at the forefront of his mind for everyday wear. Requiring more investment than Jock could commit to at the time, the idea was parked. In 2018, Jock moved to Texas, where he planned to spend a year playing rugby, travelling and eventually returning home to the family property at Boorowa. Two years later, Jock was still in Texas when his idea for manufacturing clothing resurfaced. He said the United States consumed less wool than most other developed countries and there certainly weren’t many labels selling premium Australian Merino clothing direct to American men, presenting a gap in the market. “By 2020, I was in a position where I had a bit of disposable income to put into it,” he said. Though Jock had extensive knowledge of how to produce quality Merino wool, he admitted he didn’t know the first thing about the process of making clothing. “I actually Googled how to start a clothing brand,” he laughed. With little experience but a few well-placed contacts, Jock reached out to the Woolmark Company, which provided guidance on where to start. After being pointed in the direction of manufacturers who could help him start on a small scale, Jock set about perfecting a single polo shirt. The process was lengthy, involving countless emails and spreadsheets. – 25 –
TOP SIRE 2026–2027 BEYOND THE FARM First came fabric samples that were each handled and critiqued by Jock. After finally settling on a fabric that felt strong enough for an everyday polo, he moved to the next stage of the process with design samples, trying on the prototypes himself with lots of trial and error in between. “That was really the easy part,” Jock said, when reflecting on the process. In early 2022, Jock’s vision came to life with the launch of a simple Merino wool polo shirt in two colours: navy and cream. The name for his brand, Sir W. Merino, paid homage to his family’s history of breeding superfine Merinos and honoured his great-greatgrandfather, Sir Walter Merriman. “Brand identity was really important,” Jock said. As a small brand, Jock handles all aspects of the business himself, including design, marketing and customer service, which he says gives him a new understanding of how the average consumer sees Merino wool. “Marketing was a real challenge. I would meet one person out of 100 that would say they loved wool and the other 99 wouldn’t know that wool came from a sheep.” Education was best offered in its simplest form, Jock said. “You don’t have long to catch their attention. If they can hold on to one piece of information about Merino wool, that’s a positive thing,” he said. “Every conversation I have is a building block for Merino.” Jock said he was continually building confidence in his products and the market for Merino wool apparel overall. “I used to worry that they wouldn’t hold up or think today might be the day my shirt smells,” he laughed. He continually tests his products, recently documenting a trip on social media where he travelled to India with only four Merino wool shirts for the twoweek trip. “A good Merino shirt should last you four to seven years,” Jock said, noting that the grey t-shirt sample that sparked his journey is still in his wardrobe. As his confidence has grown, so too has the Sir W. Merino range which now features three main shirt designs, manufactured in Shanghai by Diyang, a factory that specialises in fine Merino apparel for premium brands. “I’m still trying to position myself brand wise, focusing on a niche clientele and then I’ll look to branch out as it grows,” he said. While the American market is the main focus for now, Jock said he hopes to be able to expand sales to the Australian market in the near future. “My dream would be to have retail stores and go into it full time.” Based on an Australian Merino wool heritage, Sir W. Merino offers a concise range of men’s shirts with the promise – wear it through a flight, a meeting and dinner, then hang it up for tomorrow. Try it for yourself. >> sirwmerino.com DISCOVER SIR W. MERINO (Photos: Supplied by Sir W. Merino) – 26 –
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI3ODI1