120 Merino & Poll Merino Rams
Rosevale, Hay, NSW
Hazeldean: 02 6453 5555
Richard Cannon: 0427 931 177
Ed Bradley: 0412 298 546
Bea Litchfield:0427 933 103
Jim Litchfield: 0417 676 561
Dear Merino Breeder,
It is hard to get away from two key issues facing the wool industry at present. Wool prices and mulesing. Many are rolling the two together looking for sheep that don’t need mulesing and opting for large frames and low breech wrinkle which equals plainer bodies which equals lower fleeceweight.
If you believe wool prices will stay permanently depressed then it is probably time to exit the industry and head for the prime lamb market however our experience is that over time, while wool prices are typically volatile, Merino sheep with the right genetics are very profitable.
The mulesing issue is not going away so the question boils down to how to deal with it. There is a strong correlation between low breech wrinkle, plain bodies and low fleeceweight. If you select strictly for plainer bodied sheep you will end up cutting less wool per head unless you select for increased body size and then you will be increasing maintenance costs and running less sheep per hectare, driving down profits. Way back when the first wether trial data was analysed, the traditional South Australian bloodlines came in at the bottom of the barrel for this reason.
As with other antagonistic traits like fleeceweight and fibre diameter, curvebenders exist and gains can be made to buck the trend. This is also the case with breech wrinkle and fleeceweight. Our long term clients will agree that our current seedstock flock is not only plainer than they were 20 years ago but are also producing larger quantities of high quality wool. After many years of correlating fleeceweight with wrinkle score we have found the extremes at both ends cut less wool. i.e very wrinkly and very plain. In the middle, the sheep with moderate wrinkle or ‘ripple’, cut the most. We are working towards plainer sheep with less breech wrinkle but need to keep in mind that the rate at which we do so has a big impact on the profitability of our own flock and that of our clients.
Whatever the problem we face, we have choices. Our choices are two-fold, genetic and management. If mulesing becomes outlawed we can immediately select for big, plain sheep that will require less management but will be significantly less profitable. Or we can continue to improve profitability through using high performance, profit driving Merino genetics whilst gradually reducing breech wrinkle. In the short term, this path will require management to be altered and the amount of fly protection increased through strategic crutching, shearing and chemical application which will reduce over time. They are the options open to us however to be clear the cost benefit of the latter option is way ahead of breeding less productive sheep.
The most profitable sheep to run over time are those with moderate mature size but with rapid early growth. These are the genetics of the Hazeldean type. The rams presented in this catalogue are the best you will find anywhere when all aspects of profitability, including fly control and inclusion in a prime lamb enterprise, are correctly assessed.
Regards,
Jim Litchfield
For our Victorian clients…
We hope the following will assist you if you are wondering if you will be able to enter NSW to attend the ram sale at Rosevale next month.
From our discussions with Service NSW and exploring the website we are confident you will be able to attend (unless you have been in a COVID-19 area of concern within 14 days of applying for your permit).
A couple of points to note:
1. Non border resident permits can take up to 7 days to be approved
2. Border permits are valid for 14 days from issue.
To attend the sale on the 15th it would be best to apply for a permit no earlier than the 1st of October.
The border region is shaded in the map below
If you are a Victorian resident living within the “Border Region” you are eligible to obtain a border permit following the steps below.
Go to the Service NSW website
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-covid-19-nsw-border-entry-permit
Click “Apply Online”
Enter your details then click “Next”
On the Eligibility page answer “Yes” that you’re allowed to travel under Victoria’s current public health restrictions.
Permit Category - pull down menu to select “Border Resident”
Select your situation last 14 days – pull down menu and select “None of the above”
Select “No’ to being in a COVID area within past 14 days.
Tick your reason for needing permit as being “To obtain necessary goods or services”
If you live outside of the Border Region.
Follow above steps 1-3.
4. Permit Category – pull down menu and select “Critical services – agriculture worker”
5. Select your situation last 14 days – pull down menu and select “None of the above”
6. Select “Yes” to ”Are you providing the critical service within 100km …?”
7. Select “No’ to being in a COVID area within past 14 days.
8. Enter “Rosevale, 500 Jerilderie Road, Hay NSW 2711” for location
9. Enter your vehicle registration
Hazeldean Riverina Sale Rams average ASBV's show far heavier fleeces than the industry average, that are also finer than the average, and average indexes far above the industry average.
7% Index explained and Trait Contribution to Profit
Hazeldean Genetic Trends over the last 10 years. Click to view data.
Rams available for private selection following the sale or any other time by appointment.
For prior Inspection of the rams or any information please don’t hesitate to call Richard Cannon on 0427931177 or email Richard.
Watch interviews with clients & industry experts about why they use Hazeldean genetics
click here to find out how to use ASBV's & Indexes
click here to find out more about Merino Select Indexes
Pdf file Pocket Guide - an easy to understand guide to using ASBV's
The Hazeldean Breeding Policy
The special treatment of small groups through shedding and provision of artificial rations is at odds to the philosophy of the stud. To give accurate and meaningful measurement information, it is necessary to evaluate animals by running them in large contemporary groups under conditions equivalent to those experienced in the world of commercial wool growing.
Hazeldean therefore runs its stud operations along the lines of a commercial wool growing and breeding enterprise.
Hazeldean bases its selection decisions and grading for sale on a measurement system that has been in place for many years. Measurement, when applied with common sense, significantly improves the accuracy of selecting for heritable traits of economic importance such as fleece weight and fibre diameter.
Hazeldean Flock Health Status
The Hazeldean flock is assessed under the National Johne's Disease Market Assurance Program and holds a status of Monitored Negative 3 Vaccinated ( MN3-V).
The Hazeldean flock is also accredited as Brucellosis free.
Please note
Although Hazeldean employs best practice procedures in livestock husbandry and does it's best to ensure every animal catalogued for sale is free from disease, internal parasites and external parasites it does not guarantee that any sale animal is free of disease, internal parasites or external parasites.
Semen Interests
Hazeldean retains 100% semen interest and marketing rights on all rams sold including if the ram is onsold, however this does not stop the purchaser from collecting and using semen in their own flock. The rams are sold with full physical ownership to the buyer. If Hazeldean decides to collect and market semen from any ram sold, we will arrange and pay for transport and collection costs, and organise a suitable time to collect the ram.