Marnoo - A great Merino Sheep area
- By: "Farm Tender" News
- Ag Tech News
- Jul 24, 2019
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This article is bought to you by Victorian State Marnoo Merinos Field Day.
By Dwain Duxson
These things go together, The Barossa & Wine, Tassie & Apples, Casterton & Kelpies, Port Lincoln and Tuna and Rockhampton & Beef. I also have another one for you, Marnoo and Merino Sheep.
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I am partly qualified to talk on this subject having spent my first 38 years on a Sheep Farm there.
So what makes Marnoo the Merino Sheep capital? Well to me it's a combination of the quality of the Sheep, the soils, the climatic conditions and the people.
Ad - Don't miss this event - The inaugural Victorian State Marnoo Merinos Field Day - August 23 - Ad
Ad - Don't miss this event - The inaugural Victorian State Marnoo Merinos Field Day - August 23 - Ad
First and foremost, it's the people. Farmers in the area have always been mixed Farmers, and they haven't wavered too much. Other areas not so far away have opted for fence to fence Cropping, but the Farmers around Marnoo have stayed true to their Sheep.
It's folklore that the Sheep from Marnoo are big and took some shearing, "I remember well shearing those bloody big Wethers at Marnoo, it was hard work" one old Shearer said. So obviously that is where the soil and climatic conditions come in. The Sheep in the area are known to "grow out", more so than other areas. They grow big and fast.
Genetics also plays a big part. The original Sheep Studs in the area, namely Banavie and Belbourie became parent Studs to many new Studs created in the seventies and eighties in the Marnoo area.
The late Neil McLennan from Banavie Merino Stud made a small fortune selling $10,000 stud rams to the many daughter studs throughout the district
These studs collectively now influenced many other studs and flocks throughout Australia and abroad. It's also great to see the original parent stud still going strong in their own right.
Marnoo went mainstream when they formed their own Marnoo Merinos Group and the first Ram Sale at the famous MCG (Marnoo Cricket Ground) followed in 1987.
Ad - Don't miss this event - The inaugural Victorian State Marnoo Merinos Field Day - August 23 - Ad
Ad - Don't miss this event - The inaugural Victorian State Marnoo Merinos Field Day - August 23 - Ad
Since then many have branched out to the more trendy on-property Ram Sales and the area now boast some of Australia's largest on-property Sales in dollar terms.
The area's reputation keeps growing in stature as the dedicated Stud and Commercial Sheep breeders now enjoy record Wool, Lamb and Mutton prices. They are getting rewarded for their persistence and dedication.
The Marnoo Merino Sheep have changed over the years as the focus is more on early growth for the Lamb markets and faster-growing Wools that can be shorn more readily.
Although the Marnoo Sheep still retain their size they are much easier to shear these days due to a plainer bodied trend that has swept through the whole industry.
The history is strong, and the future looks bright for the area, and it's Merino Sheep. With the generous upgrading of the MCG oval and pavilion, the day on the 23rd of August should be a ripper
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Picture - The first ever Marnoo Merinos Ram Sale at the MCG
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