Since 1995, Richard and Sally Carn have run a mixed farming operation on St Johns, a 1220-hectare property west of The Rock.
They run a self-replacing 3240-head Merino flock and grow winter cereal crops, including and winter cereal including canola, wheat, oats and barley.
This year they joined 2500 ewes to 40 rams and also have 700 ewe hoggets and after very good autumn and winter rains, they are hopeful of joining more ewes next year.
"Over the past eight years, we have been decreasing the percentage of the farm sown to crop and increasing sheep numbers," Mr Carn said.
"With that in mind, we plan to join 200 more ewes in 2021 than we did this year.
"We join our ewes in February for five weeks with lambs dropping from the second week of July until the middle of August.
"This is to utilise the available spring pasture growth so the lactating ewes can maintain body condition.
"We had an excellent autumn and early winter after a less than ideal start to the year.
"In February we were very short of stock water and were hand-feeding. We had rain in March which filled most of our dams and then good follow up through April so the pastures are strong."
We got rams from Meadow View because they were large-framed, heavy cutting and had a well-nourished wool. The move by Meadow View to Poll Merinos in 2010 was in line with my own breeding objectives. The sheep are now faster maturing and have improved fertility.
- Richard Carn, St Johns, The Rock
This year's fleece, shorn in late May, averaged 19.3 micron, with cut from an adult sheep averaging seven kilograms and 103mm.
The Carns understand the need for quality pastures, regularly fertilisng with single superphoshate.
They also include forage crops in their program with grazing wheat grown and grazed from late May until early August.
"Pastures are established in the last year of the cropping rotation, with a mix of lucerne, sub-clover and Balansa clover undersown with barley," Mr Carn said.
Rams are fed lupins prior to joining and the ewes are aimed to have a condition score of 3.0 or better prior to joining.
"This year ewes were fed a mixture of 80 per cent barley and 20pc canola meal pellets prior to joining," Mr Carn said.
The Carns have bought their rams from Meadow View since 1997.
"We got rams from Meadow View because they were large-framed, heavy cutting and had a well-nourished wool," Mr Carn said.
"The move by Meadow View to Poll Merinos in 2010 was in line with my own breeding objectives.
"The sheep are now faster maturing and have improved fertility.
"Originally our breeding aims were based mainly around fleece weight and micron. Now we are looking more closely at carcase characteristics and fertility."