Sheep that doesnt need shearing sells for 90000 almost doubling WA record price
A Western Australian meat sheep has sold for $90,000, smashing the state record as its breeder prepares to blend its shedding variety with a $150,000 ram.
Key points:Two rams cleared the milestone at the SheepMaster national sale in Elleker last Friday.
The top-seller went to Rainbows Rest in Dongara for $90,000, and the next-highest for $85,000 to a syndicate of SheepMaster studs in WA and New South Wales.
SheepMaster is not the first shedding sheep breed â€" meaning it does not produce wool or need shearing â€" to attract record pricing this year.
Last month an UltraWhite ram raised the WA state record to $51,500 and an Australian White sold for a national meat sheep record of $165,000.
Shedding blend on the wayNeil Garnett is the founding breeder for SheepMaster, having developed it over the past 28 years.
"This is a fantastic thing for the shedding sheep industry," he said.
Mr Garnett narrowly missed purchasing the $165,000 Australian record-priced meat sheep this September â€" an Australian White from the Tattykeel stud in NSW.
However, two weeks later he purchased a different Australian White ram from Tattykeel for $150,000, which he plans to mate with his SheepMaster ewes to make a new "family" of the breed.
"We will blend [the breeds] but we are very strong about maintaining the principal issues that make SheepMaster what it is," he said.
"We focus on 100 per cent shedding, walkability, constitution, fertility, and mothering.
"Of course, in genetics it's quite possible the ram will fail but you just have to take those risks if we want to constantly strive to improve."
Mr Garnett stressed the importance of genetics but does not report the breeding value data of the sheep he sells.
Get the latest rural newsPhillip Corker was part of a syndicate of studs which were willing to purchase the second-highest priced ram on Friday for $85,000.
"Whilst I wish there was more data on Neil's rams we were still happy to go ahead with the purchase because I knew the quality I was dealing with," Mr Corker said.
He plans to introduce reporting for Australian Standard Breeding Values on his stud going forward and to market the ram's semen for export.
"There is demand [for shedding sheep genetics] worldwide," he said.
Breeders bewareThe $90,000 ram is certainly the most expensive meat sheep sold in WA's history, but it is far from the record across all breeds.
Mr Garnett bred merinos for decades and holds the Australian sheep price record of $450,000 for a merino he sold in 1989.
But today he is an outspoken advocate for shedding sheep.
"The merino industry has to have a look at itself. There's clearly a move away, which is unfortunate, but it's the truth," he said.
How 25 years of breeding led to a fast-growing, no-shearing sheepMeet the man behind a 25-year breeding program that's resulted a easy-care, high fertility meat sheep.
Read moreLewisdale stud breeder Ray Lewis recalls selling a merino in WA for $220,000 in the 1990s which he believes is the state record for any sheep breed.
Today he breeds dual-purpose merinos to produce both wool and meat.
"The wool industry is very profitable at the moment," he said.
"Without the merino you haven't got a prime lamb industry. Merino is the mother of all prime lamb.
"The profitability is driven by lambing percentage and that's where merino is key."
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