Andrew Michael’s Leahcim Poll Merino and White Suffolk stud sheep in demand

SHEEP from Andrew Michael’s South Australian stud are in strong demand across Australia.

WHEN it comes to identifying Australia’s most progressive sheep breeders, the name Andrew Michael easily rolls off the tongue.

Genetics from his Leahcim Poll Merino and White Suffolk studs near Snowtown, in South Australia, can be found in flocks across the nation.

More than a quarter of his rams are bought by Victorian and NSW buyers each year. And demand is growing.

Last year, Leahcim sold 480 Poll Merino rams and 350 White Suffolks, privately and at auction.

The stud’s annual on-property sale averaged $1900 for Merinos and $1000 for White Suffolks, a breed Mich­ael helped pioneer.

Demand has seen the Michaels increase their ram numbers for the past five years and this year Andrew, his wife Rosemary and sons Luke, Stewart and Alistair will offer 600 Poll Merino rams — 200 at auction and 400 privately.

Previously, rams were also sold at major multi-vendor sales, but Andrew said clients preferred all rams be offered at one location. The family has farmed at Snowtown for 100 years and they were originally grain growers, with 80 per cent of their income derived from cropping and 20 per cent from sheep.

But in recent decades that has reversed, and sheep now account for 80 per cent of business.

The Merino stud has been going for 40 years and the White Suffolk, since the breed’s inception, about 25 years.

Andrew said this switch to mostly sheep was to move away from residual chemicals in cropping systems and the costly inputs, and found the fin­ancial returns from the sheep studs outstripped cropping.

Now, the Michaels run 2300 Poll Merino and 500 White Suffolk stud ewes as well as about 2000 wethers and 100 cattle.

All numbers vary, depending on the season.

The family has 2500ha in South Australia’s Mid North, 800ha in the Upper South East and a “small station” east of Burra.

The diverse mix of climates allows for a “floating farm management system”, where there are no rigid rules about which classes of sheep run where.

“Everything flows” according to the seasonal conditions, Andrew said.

Andrew was an early adopter of new technology.

He hasn’t burnt stubbles for more than 30 years and was one of the first Mid North farmers to adopt press wheels.

The same can be said for his approach to sheep breeding, where he is a firm believer in objective performance meas­urement. He has 30 years of data behind his Australian Sheep Breeding Values and has recently been involved in the Cooperative Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation DNA testing programs.

Genomic data has allowed breeding progress to be accelerated, he said.

Now, Leahcim is a pioneer in juvenile in-vitro embryo transfer technology, which Andrew says is “super charging” the speed of genetic gains.

Bright outlook: Andrew Michael from Leahcim with one of his prized Merinos.

Andrew first used JIVET in 2007, but now the technology is much more useful because it is linked to genomic data.

The technique involves using genomic data to select superior breeding stock within weeks of birth.

Eggs are collected from ewes at six to 10 weeks of age.

This process had been proven to have no long-term impact on the young ewe.

These eggs were then joined with semen from top rams in test tubes and embryos then carried by recipient commercial ewes.

Using this technology, Andrew said he could achieve genetic gains within 12 months that would have taken six years of conventional breeding.

And this was estimated to lift returns per ewe lamb per year by $8, while conventional breeding led to an increase of $2.

Andrew is now focusing on improving three main traits; fleece weight, fat and muscling.

Leahcim is already one of the Merino breed’s trait leaders for growth.

Next, he will use JIVET to focus on intramuscular fat and shear force traits — which he said were becoming important for all sheep breeders focused on meat quality.

Rams bred from the JIVET technology will soon be offered for sale, but Andrew said these sales would be limited to certain clients.

Only studs involved in Sheep Genetics, with a focus on ASBVs, would be eligible to buy his top rams, he said.

This aimed to improve accuracy of the Leahcim breeding values.

Andrew said a similar approach had been used by leading cattle studs, such as Lawsons Angus.

Looking forward, he said he had “never seen the sheep industry in as good a position” as it was now.

He believes it will grow on the back of increasing global demand for meat.