Small livestock such as sheep and goats have long been regarded as a means for younger people to enter the livestock industry, which was borne out by at least one of the bid card holders at last Monday's Dorper and White Dorper sale at St George.
Roma's Owen and Hannah Mackenzie were among those vying for the highly sought-after rams at the sale.
As well as selecting three White Dorper rams from the Norwood stud at Bundarra, NSW for prices ranging from $3000 to $3600, they outlaid $3400 for one of seven rams offered by sale newcomer, The Ranch at Longreach.
It was the equal top price for Melinda Davies, who had travelled 10 hours from west of Longreach to present her stud's White Dorper progeny at auction for the first time.
The couple, who have leased part of the 1757ha Balboa south of Roma from Hannah's parents, have cattle and Merino sheep backgrounds but felt Dorpers offered them the most economical way to get a start.
"Owen's family run Merino sheep on country between Bollon and St George and my family are all cattle - we'd have loved to have gone into cattle but we couldn't afford to," Ms Mackenzie explained.
As well as the initial financial outlay being cheaper, the decision to invest in meat sheep was based on the property being exclusion fenced but not having other essential sheep infrastructure such as a shearing shed.
"Dorpers definitely offer opportunities for young people - it's an industry taking off, and we didn't need infrastructure, apart from a new set of yards," Ms Mackenzie said. "Meat sheep are expensive to buy too, but at a pricing rate that meant we could lease land and still buy stock."
The ability to have eight-month joinings and a quicker turnover appealed as well, along with the variety of sale avenues.
They've been keeping a portion of their ewe lambs and selling all other progeny, either direct to Western Meat Exporters at Charleville, on AuctionsPlus, or to butchers in Roma and Mitchell.
They run around 700 ewes and lambs, initially purchasing some from a property at Mungallala and others from Brewarrina, NSW.
The latter will finish lambing at the end of September and it's this mob that The Ranch Snoopy will be joined with.
The Mackenzies are moving towards a purely White Dorper flock and say they have had their eyes on rams from The Ranch for a while.
"They're similar to the ram we bought last year at the sale from Norwood, which we've been really happy with," Ms Mackenzie said. "He's a good size and frame."
They agree with Ms Davies' view that the pigment of the White Dorpers helps keep flies at bay as well.
Ms Davies said Snoopy, as well as being an easygoing ram, had registered the best weight gain of those she had for sale.
She started her stud three years ago but Monday's sale was the first time she had presented her rams for auction.
"We're humbled by the support," she said. "It seems the direction we're going in is supported, going by the feedback here - the results say that people think what we're doing is not too bad."
Ms Davies and her partner Cameron Stedman inherited Merinos when they moved to the Longreach property, which they infused with Dorpers.
"We've had 10 years of commercial experience with them, so the stud move made perfect sense to me," she said. "They were so good through the drought, they were still breeding when the Merinos had packed it in."
She is working on a quality not quantity principle and not projecting lots of paddock ram sales, but said the trip down to St George had given them valuable feedback.
"Keeping in touch with breeders and what everyone's doing, that was the highlight of our trip," she said.
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Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
