Sheepvention, Hamilton: Results from the inventions competition

The Sheepvention multi-vendor ram sale had a reduced offering of just 80 rams, but an impressive top of $26,000. See all the details.

The Sheepvention multi-vendor ram sale has topped at an impressive $26,000 in its first year back live since 2019.

The top-priced Yarrawonga stud Merino ram was bought by Western Australian stud principal Jarrod King from Warralea Poll Merinos.

Yarrawonga stud principal Steve Phillips, Harden, NSW, said the sale topper was “beyond all our expectations” after a long hiatus from the sale that stretched before Covid.

“We haven’t been to this sale in 20 years,” Mr Phillips said.

“We’ve just started the new Yarrawonga Plus stud so we wanted to get them out there for people to see.

Mr Phillips put up six rams in the sale from his two stud prefixes.

Yarrawonga Poll sold the top price ram to Western Australia and two rams at $16,000 and $5000 into Tasmania.

The three rams from the Yarrawonga Plus stud all found homes in Victoria.

Overall, 72 rams sold from 85 offered, for an average of $4371 and top of $26,000.

In the breakdown, 67 Merinos averaged $4436 while the five Corriedale’s averaged $3500.

“We had a sale top of $20,000 three times at Bendigo in July so we were really happy with our top (price) today,” Elders stud stock manager Ross Milne said.

“It was all a bit unknown with how it would go today being back live after three years,” Mr Milne said.

“We’ve gone from over 200 rams back in 2019 down to 80 rams so we were wondering how the decrease in numbers might affect the sale.

“In the end we were pretty happy with the interest and sale result,” Mr Milne said.

About 91 registered buyers were present and the sale streamed live off AuctionsPlus, which also resulted in a handful of sales.

Chris and Jacqui Arbuckle from St Arnaud picked up four rams all from the Glendonald Merino stud at Nhill.

The Arbuckle’s have been on Glendonald bloodlines for the past 30 years.

Their volume purchase grossed $15,000 and included two rams at a top-price of $4000.

Other major buyers at the sale included Hamish Robertson of Austral Park Merinos at Tarrenlea who picked up four rams to gross $10,000, and local commercial producer Malcolm Ford from Hamilton whose four rams grossed $9000.

INTERBREED CROWNED

White Suffolks from two different studs took out the short wool interbreed crowns at Sheepvention.

The interbreed supreme short wool ewe was won by Mertex White Suffolk from Antwerp.

“The judges said she had good femininity for the amount of meat she had on her,” stud principal Tim Jorgensen said.

The interbreed supreme short wool ram was won by Wakeleigh White Suffolks from Cavendish.

Wakeleigh stud principal Kylie Wake said the win was the stud’s first supreme, and second show circuit, after merging the new stud prefix in 2018.

“My first year was in 2019 and we did Sheepvention, Adelaide and the Bendigo Elite show and sale – it’s been a bit of a hiatus in the meantime,” Kylie said.

“It definitely wasn’t expected, you just come here hoping your sheep will stack up against the rest.”

Kylie Wake, Wakeleigh White Suffolks stud, Cavendish, with supreme short wool ram, and Tim Jorgensen, Mertex, Antwerp, with supreme short wool ewe at Sheepvention. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

The interbreed supreme long wool ram was won by Gambier View Corriedales from Derrinallum.

“He’s got the structure, the body, the carcass and magnificent mid-micron fleece,” stud principle Milton Savage said.

“The Corriedales are dual-purpose sheep and we’ve got to stick the dual-purpose even if the wool isn’t selling too well at the moment,” Mr Savage said.

The interbreed supreme long wool ewe was awarded to Leonella Border Leicester stud from Winchelsea, under stud principal Megan Lubcke.

In the Merino show section, the supreme champion Merino ram title was taken out by local Glenara stud at Dunkeld.

Rachael, Jacob, Trevor and Kathy Mibus from Glenara Merinos, Dunkeld with the supreme Merino ram. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Glenara were the defending champions having won the same supreme title in 2019 when Sheepvention was last run.

The ram won the ultrafine Merino ram under two-years-old and went on to take out the supreme champion title.

Stud principal Trevor Mibus said he was a big ram for an ultrafine Merino, weighing more than 100kg.

“It’s unusual for an ultrafine ram to win – normally when you line up all the different wool categories, the strongest wool is normal the biggest sheep but he’s an impressive looking ram.”

INVENTIONS WINNER

A new electronic wool press has been crowned the winner of the Sheepvention inventions competition.

After Sheepvention at Hamilton has had a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19, it is fitting the winner of the famed inventions competition was a machine suited to the sheep industry.

Mechanical engineer Shane Bourke took home the Stewart Major award for best innovation today for his Macbro Powermaster wool press.

Inventions competition winner Shane Burke with his Powermaster woolpress, from Mornington. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

With 40 years experience in industrial hydraulics and the agricultural industry, Mr Bourke equipped the machine with the latest technology to provide a faster cycle and shorter bake length with a stronger press.

“It produces about 30 to 50 per cent more bales per day, and takes 30 per cent less power to do so,” Mr Bourke said.

The machine features strong hydraulic pinning for 200kg bales, dual sided operation for bale unloading and touch screen operation which is remote programmable.

The machine allows a 200kg bale to be pressed in about five loads, rather than the traditional 10 loads.

A large benefit of the new machine is its capability to press crossbred wool well, which Mr Bourke said previous wool press machines have struggled with.