Corowa’s Nathan McClelland making light work of ram shearing

Shearing 100kg-plus rams can be a dangerous and costly job, but a new piece of farm tech is making the major task much easier.

Shearing the rams has taken on a whole new look thanks to one southern NSW contractor.

And the platform shearing of rams is taking off thanks to Nathan McClelland from Corowa, who said producers were flocking to his business.

Mr McClelland bought a ShearEzy made by Peak Hill Industries and started Milindi Ram Shearing at the beginning of September.

And feedback from producers who have used him to shear their rams has been overwhelmingly positive.

“The rams don’t need to be sedated, and so that is what I thought might be attractive for producers as they don’t have the cost of that sedation and the rams can be ready to work straight after they are shorn,” Mr McClelland said.

“I like to say that I give them a fresh haircut and then they are looking good to put straight out with the ewes.

“But the feedback I have been getting is that safety is the biggest issue and reason why people want rams shorn this way.”

Nathan McClelland from Milindi Ram Shearing at Corowa, NSW, has bought a machine specifically for shearing rams so they do not need to be sedated.

Mr McClelland said producers liked the fact they did not have to handle the rams at all, as even needling them with sedative could cause injuries.

“It is also getting to the stage that shearers don’t want to handle rams that are 100kg-plus, even if they are sedated,” he said.

Mr McClelland said ram shearing with the ShearEzy was “easy on the ram and easy on the operator”, and the machine could be adjusted to fit different breeds.

At a cost of $16-$18 to shear a ram, it’s not cheap but Mr McClelland said there had been no push back from producers who were happy to not have to handle rams.

“The way the rams come off the trailer, they are relaxed and just walk off calmly and go eat,” he said.

And while he uses a slightly different shearing pattern to that which he uses when on a traditional board, Mr McClelland said his existing shearing skills had definitely helped.

“I wouldn’t be able to shear rams all day every day, but I can now and I even do my own rouseing, so when you add that in and no cost for sedative, I think producers work out it is worth it.”