Brothers Simon and Angus Brabin are committed to breeding quality Merino sheep on the family aggregation based on "Bundaleer", Junee.
In partnership with their parents Tom and Merril, the brothers join 1200 Merino ewes annually to Merino rams purchased from the Baldwin family at “Bundilla”, Young, alongside 300 Merino seconds joined to Composites to maintain first-cross numbers.
The sheep operation compliments their 1200 hectare winter cropping program, yet is a significant component of their enterprise mix.
Angus Brabin said his family started with Merino breeding in the early 1990’s because of his father’s passion for wool.
We are trying to keep body size along with a plain skin because of the carcase values
- Angus Brabin
“We went right out of crossbreds at the time, but we are now slowly rebuilding numbers, as the cashflow from lambs spreads our business risk,” Mr Brabin said.
“But we have confidence in the Merino as being the base of our operation, and if Merino prices stay where they are and we can get a good cut of wool, we will stay with our mix,” he said.
“The returns the brothers received recently from their wether lambs which dressed at 28 kilogram average weight, certainly compare well with any other sheep enterprise.
“We sold 400 lambs for $168 average, which included $16 for their skin,” Mr Brabin said. “When you add in their wool at about $30, it was a good return for wether lambs.”
He explained they attempt to finish the wethers on grazing canola, but this past season they topped up their wether draft with home-grown grain.
“Grazing canola is a good crop for us, if we get a good season because of the terrific growth rates from our lambs plus the benefit of grain harvested,” he said.
“We join on January 1 for six weeks, so when the lambs are dropped we hope to have had an autumn break, and then wean at the start of spring onto good feed.”
The Brabin family have been sourcing their Merino rams from the Bundilla stud for the past three years, focusing on purchasing rams born as twins but with a good size and carcase type.
