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2023 Newsletter

Check out all the latest on what's been happening at Hannaton!

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Hanaton 150093 on top in Balmoral Trial

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Sally, Peter & Jonno with sale topping Hannaton ewes at Bordertown off shear sale

 

Angela and Gary Lock, Linda-Vista, Kongal receive the perpetual trophy for the winning two fleeces from Mundulla Hogget Competition founder Ed Champness, and Tony Biddle, representing sponsor Tatiara Insurance Agencies.

Angela and Gary Lock, Linda-Vista, Kongal receive the perpetual trophy for the winning two fleeces from Mundulla Hogget Competition founder Ed Champness, and Tony Biddle, representing sponsor Tatiara Insurance Agencies.

 

Greg Growden and Gary Lock after their great performance in the Mundulla Hogget competition

Greg Growden and Gary Lock after their great performance in the Mundulla Hogget competition.

 

Highlights

May 2022 - Ewe lamb joining incresed again - entire 2121 drop (un-classed)

71% conception  88% lambing potential

We have been breeding to increase our post weaning weights, muscle and fat and are seeing the benefits with our ewe lamb joining and exciting genetics coming through the stud. Our entire 2021 drop was joined at 9 months of age for just 4 weeks. We keep the joining window short to ensure we can wean these lambs in November and bring the ewes back into the normal stud joining in December. Not only does this great result help to increase our rate of genetic gain its also a massive production boost on the farm with the extra lambing potential.

Feb 2022 - Hannaton 150093 on top in Balmoral Trial

We were thrilled to see Hannaton 150093 perform so well in the Balmoral Sire Evaluation trial 2020 drop and inspect his progeny at the field day this year. His progeny had the highest percentage of tops (+25) and the lowest percentage of culls(-16) in visual classing. Comparing 22 leading sires in Australia from different studs across five states it’s fantastic to see our genetics stacking up so well in commercial conditions. 150093 is a ram that has had a huge impact on our stud with 400 progeny here. His wool quality and structural conformation has really stood out in the trial as well. His genetics are continuing to have an impact here and he is the grand sire of our top Semen Sire 200155 who we have used heavily in the stud this joining and entered in the 2022 Balmoral Sire Evaluation Trial.

September 2021 - Ram sale to record top

In 2021 we once again increased our offering to give plenty o f selection to buyers on the day.  We were thrilled with the result as we offered and sold the most rams ever at our on property auction for a record average.  We thought it was one of the most even line ups of the rams we have ever presented with both visual appeal and measured performance and it showed with the strong and even bidding from start to finish in t he sale.  In the main auction 101 of 106 sold to a record top of $9,000 and averaged $3,037.  The top price ram, lot number 5, went to long term Hannaton clients Gary and Angela Lock, Linda Vista, Mundulla SA to be used to breed rams for their own flock. A further 16 rams were sold in the pens of five after the sale averaging $1,546.  While the bidding was strong throughout the sale we believe we offer fantastic value for commercial breeders with 45 rams selling between $1,000 and $2,000 on the day.

June 2021 - Farm Fit Ewe Workshop

We are very excited to now be working with Dr Mark Ferguson and the team from NextGen Agri to assist with genetics and data in the stud.  We were delighted to have the opportunity to host one of their Farm Fit Ewe Workshops on the 29th of June.  the course, run by Mark Ferguson and Darren Gordon, covered all aspects of managing ewes and their nutrition though joining and lambing as well as some hands on condition scoring.  We then moved onto genetics and ram selection and talked about the importance of breeding the right animals for your business and the impact different traits can have on your bottom line.  We also had some sale rams on display for clients to better understand the ASBV’s to help find the genetics that best suit their breeding objectives. 

 

October 2020 - Client Success at Keith Off Shear Sale

The biggest thrill we get is seeing our clients have success with Hannaton genetics and the last 12 months has seen some great results.  None more impressive than long term clients G & A Lock from Mundulla selling their surlpus young ewes for $319 per head in the Keith Off Shear Sale.  The Locks have always been amongst the top pens in the Bordertown sale and topped the sale there in 2018 and 2019.  The sale was a fantastic result and a reflection of the work and investment they put into their sheep always buying from the best at our sale. 

 

March 2020 - Ewe Lamb Joining

We have always been renowned for our wool cut and quality but in recent years we have had a real focus on increasing Post Weaning Weight (PWT) and fat cover in our sheep with the end goal of joining ewe lambs.  This year we decided to join our entire 2019 drop at 10 months of age in a short 4 week joining and are really excited to see that vision coming to fruition.  The potential for a lot of extra lambs and increased returns are something we will be pushing for moving forward.  From our 2019 drop ewe lambs we have retained 385 in the stud.  From their scanning results 204 were scanned in lamb as singles, 71 as twins and 110 dry.  This equates to 71% conception rate, and 90%  lambs.  The potential for another 346 lambs this year from those 385 ewes combined with the increased rate of genetic gain is very exciting.  All these ewes were joined as a syndicate mating so they stayed in one management group to collect their Merinoselect ASBV data.  The progeny will all be DNA tested to work out parentage of both Dam and Sire. 

June 2020 - Genomics Testing

One of the exciting new tools we are using more and more in the stud is DNA and Genomics testing.  We have been Genomics testing sires since 2013 and increased those numbers with top sale rams and elite ewes being tested in the last couple of years.  This year we have made a large investment in lifting our numbers by testing 230 of our twin bearing young ewes and all of our ewe lambs that were scanned in lamb.  We will test all their progeny to provide us with 100% accurate parentage, Horn/Poll status and DNA markers for 20 different traits.  This equates to an investment of over $30,000 in DNA testing this year alone.  This exciting tool not only allows us to better manage and mother up our twin bearing ewes, it will help to  increase the accuracy of ASBVs and help us and our clients make more informed breeding decisions.   Pictured here is the Tissue Sampling Unit (TSU) that we use to take a sample from the ear of each animal

May 2020 - Woolshed Renovations

This year we have been busy giving our shearing shed a much needed facelift.  With our old shed and flooring looking a bit worse for wear we decided to renovate and put in a raised board and change the shed layout a little to make working in the shed easier and more efficient.  Bringing our ewe weaner shearing forward this year to June meant we had a very short deadline to finish but the job was done just in time and we couldn't be happier with the results.

Oct 2019 - Hannaton Clients go Back to Back and top off shears sale

We are always delighted to see our genetics in demand and performing well commercially.  Long time Hannaton client Gary Lock topped the Bordertown sale for the second year running with his surplus young ewes selling at $272.  Gary has always purchased rams from the top end of our sale and his commitment to his sheep and genetics is a credit to him.  Hannaton clients KR & CA Johnson were also in the top pens on the day selling young ewes for $246.  Congratulations to both clients on these fantastic results.

Pictured Elders Bordertown livestock agent Wade Broadstock with Hannaton client Gary Lock and Elders Bordertown Brenton Henriks with the sale topping pen.  

Sep 2019 - Hannaton Charity ram brings top price for Freeze MND

Every year the team at Hannaton draw a ram number out of a hat before the sale and donate the entire proceeds to charity.  The 2019 sale was a real highlight with lot number 57 selling for $4,250 - the second highest price in the sale.  The ram went to long term clients K & C Johnson from Bordertown SA who were deligted with their purchase.  A charity ram has been sold every year for the past 15 years at the On Property Sale and we have been able to raise ove $29,000 for numerous charaties.  This year the funds were donated to Motor Neurone Disease Victoria.

Sep 2019 - Hannaton clients first time winners in Mundulla

Hannaton clients Kraig  & Caroline Johnson with their daughter and son in law Simonne and Tom Reynolds after winning both the fleece of the day and best team of fleecesHannaton genetics have once again shown thier commercail value in whay may be the last ever Mundulla Hoggett Competition.  The Johnson family, Hannaton clients for 12 years, took out both the highest value fleece and highest value team of fleeces in a fantastic result.  Thier 18 micron winning fleece was valued at an incredible $149.  This is the first time the Johnson family have won the wool section of the competition with thier recent focus on lifting wool cut paying off.  They have previously won the meat value twice in their 7 years entering the competition and this year were runners up, showing the great dual purpose strength of thier flock.  Hannaton genetic had 4 of the top 5 teams in the competition and really stood out in the fleece value.  The 5 Hannaton blood teams had an average team fleece value $43.4 better than the rest of the competition.  Congratulations to Kraig, Caroline, Simonne and Tom on thier brilliant win.

Sep 2018 - Largest ever Hannaton on property sale

With strong demand and interest in Hannaton genetics we increased our offering by 20 rams to our largest ever sale team of 130 rams.  The evenness of the sale was reflected in the strong bidding from start to finish with 44 registered buyers from 3 states competing and taking home 116 rams at auction.  The top price was $5,750 which was achieved twice for two Poll Merino rams.  The sale average of $2,288 saw strong bidding from ram breeders at the top end of the market and great value for flock buyers as well.   One third of the rams sold on the day were at $1,500 or below showing great commercial value for buyers.  The great 2018 on property sale was then followed by our strongest private selection season ever.  We were delighted with the 2018 result and thank all our loyal clients for their continued support. 

 

Oct 2018 - Hannaton Clients top Bordertown Off Shear Sale

Elders Bordertown livestock agent Wade Broadstock with Hannaton clients Gary Lock,
 Micalea Lock and Elders Bordertown Brenton Henriks pictured with the sale topping pen.There has been a huge amount of interest in Hannaton blood ewes and this years selling results are a testiment to that. Long term Hannaton client Gary Lock topped the Bordertown sale with his young ewes selling at $274. A fantastic line of ewes that were a real credit  to the Lock family.  Top price for older ewes in the sale also went to Hannaton clients Mundabah Partenrs with their 4 1/2 year old ewes making $160. Congratualtions to both clients on their fantastic results. 

Aug 2018 - Hannaton ram perfect in Balmoral Trial!

2016 Drop Balmoral Lifetime Productivity Trial is the largest trial in Australia with 25 sires used from leading SA, Vic, NSW, Tas and WA Studs. This trial, as well as measuring carcass and wool traits, retains the ewe progeny for their lifetime  to measure fertility and mothering ability.

Hannaton sire 12-0046 has been a real impact sire for our poll stud and his performance in the Balmoral Lifetime Productivity trial has been outstanding.  In their maiden joining in 2018, the daughters of H120046 were 100% scanned in lamb.  He was the only sire who's progeny achieved this perfect result, well above the average for the flock which was 86% scanned in lamb. 

Aug 2018 - Hannaton Clients again dominate Mundulla Hoggett competition

 

We really value industry trials to benchmark our genetics and we encourage our clients to do so as well.  Trials are a fantastic way to show your sheep's true genetic potential in commercial conditions. 

Hannaton clients have again dominated the 2018 Mundulla Hogget competition in what is a real credit to their breeding and passion for merino sheep, winning the highest value fleece (valued at an incredible $174) and highest value team of two fleeces (valued at $313).  There were 9 Hannaton blood hoggets in the competition averaging $138 per head in wool value,  $23 above the average of the other 27 hoggets entered.

 

Angela and Gary Lock, Linda-Vista, Mundulla, with their winning fleece and Elders district wool manager Tegan Falkner  

 

Aug 2018 - Attention grabbing sale team at Hamilton Sheepvention

The 2018 Hannaton sale team at Sheepvention certainly grabbed a lot of people's attention!! It may have helped when Sam Farrow, one of the AWI fashion parade models, was holding on to lot 115. This ram, seen on the front cover of the Weekly Times, was the second ram purchased in what was a fantastic sale.   We were very proud of this years team and their combination of frame, constitution and quality wools. The evenness and quality of the team was reflected in the sale result with a top price of $5,500 and an average of $5,000.   We would like to thank all our buyers and underbidders, and both new and existing clients, for their support.  

Aug 2018 - Hannaton Open Day

We once again had a fantastic response to our on property open day on Wednesday the 1st of August.  With our entire 2017 drop ewe weaners on display and shearing and fleece weighing demonstrations, it was a great opportunity for people to see the true commercial performance of our genetics.  We were also fortunate to have Steve Cotton from Dynamic Ag in Hamilton come and speak on measuring performance with ASBV’s and managing your rams health to get the mos t out of your investment.  Jonno also spoke on the day about the direction the stud is taking with our breeding and performance recording, as well as the data available for our clients this year, and how it will be displayed at the sale.  We thank all those who were able to attend on the day and for your positive feedback.  

 

Sep 2017 - Hannaton Ewes top Auctions Plus Sale

We had a huge amount of interest in our 1 1/2 year old surplus ewes that were on display at our on property ram sale and offered the following week on Auctions Plus. These 250 ewes attracted very stong bidding to reach a final price of $233 per head from a buyer at Willalooka in SA.  We were delighted with the sale that topped the Auction Plus merino pricing for the week.  The demand for Hannaton genetics this season has been amazing so if any of our clients are offering young or CFA Hannaton blood ewes please let us know. Good luck to everyone else in this off shears selling season. 

Sep 2017 - Hannaton Sale breaks records from start to Finish

With the increased demand and interest in our rams this year we offered our largest ever sale team of 110 rams.  The evenness of the sale team was reflected in the strong bidding from start to finish with 44 registered buyers from 3 states taking home 104 rams at auction.  The top price was $4,500 which was achieved twice, for a merino ram in Lot number 2 and a poll merino ram in lot 31.  The sale average of $2,085 saw strong bidding from ram breeders at the top end of the market and great value for flock buyers as well.   We couldnt be happier with the confidence being shown in our rams and their continued performance for our clients. 

Aug 2017 - Hannaton Team Shines at Sheepvention

We belived this years Hamilton sheepvention team was the best we have ever offered and from the massive interest we had over the two days it seems everyone else agreed as well.  We had a record top price for the stud at $6,500 for an excellent son of Hannaton 13-0015.  There was strong bidding on all five rams offered with new bidders and a new buyer to the stud taking 2 rams.  The five rams averaged $4,100 which is a new stud record.  Two of the rams offered have had semen collected to be used in our 2018 AI program in the stud and we cant wait to see the impact these rams will have at their new homes.

July 2017 - Hannaton Merinos Open Day

We are having an open day on Tuesday the 1st of August and we would love you to come.

We will be shearing our entire 2016 drop ewe weaners, pictured below,as well as having a guest speaker, Robert Wyld from Sapien Technology to speak about his sheep data management programs and the possibilites with EID.

For more information CLICK HERE>>

June 2017 - Hannaton Ram Stars at Elders Balmoral 2016 Drop Yearling Assesment

After his great success in our breeding program Hannaton 12-0046 "Jet Star" was entered in 2016 merino lifetime productivity trial. This trial is using 25 rams, with industry link sires and the best genetics from SA, Vic, NSW, Tas and WA studs.  Jet Star's progeny have the highest percentage of tops and the second lowest percentage of culls at yearling visual classing.

June 2017 - Best ever lambing percentages at Hannaton averaging 119%

Safe to say we are delighted with how 2017 lambing has gone.  With early rains and then warm weather for lambing we have marked the most stud lambs ever.  Our poll merinos have averaged 119% lambs marked in July to number of ewes mated in December, our best result ever!  This includes maiden ewes which made up 30% of poll stud ewes mated this year. Some paddocks were just amazing to drive around with the number of multiples.  Our best result was in this mob of 2013 drop ewes, with 58 ewes and marking 84 lambs (a result of 144%)

 December 2016 - First ever Embryo Transfer program at Hannaton

We were very excited to this year do our very first embryo transfer (ET) program in the stud.  We identified 3 elite ewes who have been breeding our top progeny identified by Pedigree Matchmaker panles in the paddock.  Lambs are electronically tagged early and the ewes and lambs recoded in the paddock by a panel reader.  These recording match lambs with ewes to electronically mother up progeny.  We then DNA tested to guarantee the results to select these top breeding ewes.  Through the use of ET we were able to flush 32 embryos from these top ewes and implant them in recipiants to carry the lambs.  Being able to identify our top ewes and boost the number of progeny they can produce we hope will have a dramatic impact on the speed of our genetic gain.  Thanks also to Margie Trowbridge and the team from Brecon Breeders for their excellent work on the ET

September 2016 - Hannaton to offer CFA stud ewes at On Property Sale

 

 

This year after several inquiries for old stud ewes we have decided to offer a pen of both Merino and Poll Merino ewes at our On Property Sale.  The ewes, pictured above, were all scanned in lamb this year and had lambs weaned mid August.  They were all shorn on the 29th of August and will be sold as a entire pen of Polls and a pen of Merinos on the day. 

August 2016 - Hannaton Client Takes Clean Sweep at Mundulla Hoggett Competition

Hannaton client of more than 15 years Greg Growden, Wangoola Downs, achieved a remarkable trifecta at the annual Mundulla Hoggett Competition taking out all three awards on the day.   In more than 15 years as a competitor, he has enjoyed numerous successes including fleece of the day in 2010,11,12 and 13 and runner-up in the 2015 fleece classes, but this year’s winning result was even more special.

His two outstanding long-stapled Merino fleeces came up trumps in the Team of Two class. Both weighing nearly 10kg skirted, the 20.9 and 20.4 micron fleeces were valued at $228.07.

Mr Growden also won the Ed Champness Perpetual Trophy for the highest value fleece of the day.  The superb fleece weighed in at 11.75kg with a yield of 73% had a total value of $121.18.  To complete his remarkable performance he also took out the award in the meat class, with his three wethers valued at $335.95.

Each of the 13 entrants selected a team of three wethers, which were run on the Salmon’s property for the past year. Prior to shearing, they choose their two best sheep for judging.

Mr Growden says the competition highlights the excellent returns for those with self-replacing Merino flocks.

“There is money in Merinos – not everyone has to go cropping or crossbreds,” he said.

It is also a great benchmark to compare the performance of his Hannaton-blood hoggets against other bloodlines in the district. 

“We are getting very white wools which are soft handling with plenty of nourishment,” Mr Growden said. “They have handled the conditions of a long dry year really well.”

 

Mar 2016 - Hannaton nominated for Sheep Farmer of the Year

It was a tremendous honor this year to be nominated for the Weekly Times Coles sheep farmer of the year.  Three finalists in the sheep selction were nominated from across south eastern Australia.  It was a fantastic night at the awards at Crown in Melbourne with a room full of passionate farmers from a wide variety of farming enterprises.  Unfortuantely we missed out on the final award wich went to the Bennett family from Lawloit. We know Alan, Donna, Ellen and Luke well and they are fantastic operators and were deserving winners, congratulations!!!

>>To read the Weekly Times article click here

Oct 2015 - Surplus 1 1/2 Year Old Ewe Sale

This years surplus 1 1/2 year old ewes were once again offered at the Bordertown off shears sale. It was fantastic to see the line up of Hannaton sheep there with 4 clients also offering their young ewes for sale.  The sale was a great result with the 211 Hannaton ewes selling for $151 per head and heading the the Riverina area of NSW

Mar 2015 - Ram Lamb Shearing at Hannaton

We were very excited this year about the quality of ram lambs coming through for this years sale. The shearers commented on the evenness of the entire drop and their overall size and wool quality.  We have been aiming for an earlier maturing animal in recent years to improve maiden ewe lambing percentages and to target better wether lamb sales. It's fantastic to see that progress being noticed by those outide the stud. It was also particularly pleasing this year as all rams were bred by Hannaton sires. 

Feb 2015 - Great result for Hannaton clients

The greatest thrill we get in breeding is seeing our genetics performing well for our clients. We were excited then to get a call from a local client who was about to sell his entire drop of wether lambs over the hooks and wanted to show us how good they looked. This was the whole drop at 9 months of age ready to go. The entire drop was so even and a real credit to the familys management. The lambs ended up averaging 23.9kg dressed and at current hook prices what a fantastic result! When this carcass value and the wool value from their shearing in November was combined it saw his merino lambs out perform his cross bred lambs.

Oct 2014 - Classing impressive ewe weaners at Eagles property

Its fantastic to get the opportunity to see our clients sheep, especially when they are looking so good. I helped out this year classing at Glenera for the Eagles and was excited to see the great size, wool cut and quality in their young ewes. I snapped this pic of Emily walking the ewes into the yards with the entire drop looking even and in great condition. The ewes were all well grown with wonderful free growing white wools across the whole drop. This great line of ewes were a credit to their management and the perfomance of the Hannaton genetics.

Oct 2014 - Hannaton 1 1/2 year old ewes offered in Bordertown

Hannaton will this year offer our classed out 1 1/2 year old ewes for sale at auction in the Bordertown off shears sale on the 15th of October.  Approximately 160 ewes will be available for sale from both merino and poll merino stud sires.  With strong demand for ewes this season we have decided to offer these ewes at auction rather than sell privately as we have done in the past 2 seasons. For further details on the ewes available please call Jonno or Peter any time. 

Sep 2014 - Hannaton Shearing and data collection

Our farm apprentice, Charlie Maddern, is enjoying smoko in some of our ewe weaner fleeces in what was a otherwise a very busy shearing. To further improve our ASBV's all ewe weaners were mid side sampled at shearing and fleece weighed. This will help identify top performing ewes in our flock and sires that are consistently producing these top genetics. To learn more about ASBV's and their use at Hannaton >>click here

 

Sep 2014 - Hannaton Stud Horn and Poll Ewes available for private sale

With the best lambing percentages we have ever had at Hannaton we are now able to offer mixed age stud ewes for sale. Ages from 2 1/2, 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 year old merino ewes now available for inspection and private sale.  These ewes would normally have been retained in the stud but with ever improving lambing percentages they are now excess to our breeding requirements.  For furthur details please call Peter or Jonno any time. 

Aug 2014 - Hannaton again breaking records at Hamilton Sheepvention

We are thrilled to report this years Hamilton Sheepvention sale was a new record for Hannaton.  With our highest ever top price, $4,500 (twice) and a record average of $3,900 we couldn't be happier with the demand for Hannatons top genetics.  We believe we have never had a stronger or more even sale team and this was reflected in the interest on the day and the fantastic sale result. We would like to thank all our buyers and under bidders on the day for their continued support. The strong enquiry for semen from Hannaton sires, especially Hannaton 11-0001 who sired 3 of the 5 rams on offer, shows the confidence in Hannaton genetics from other breeders in the industry. 

Aug 2014 - Hannaton Clients clean sweep at Mundulla Hoggett Competition

Hannaton genetics have once again proved their value at the Mundulla Ag Bureau annual hoggett competition.  Long term clients Gary and Angela Lock have had a great result taking out fleece of the day and the highest value team of 2 fleeces.  They stopped Greg and Jenny Growden (also Hannaton clients) from making a record five winning years in a row in the Ed Champness Memorial trophy.  Hannaton clients Kraig and Caroline Johnson also won the team of three highest meat value making it a clean sweep for Hannaton clients.  An excellent result for our 3 entrants from the total of 12 in the competition.  Results like these are incredibly pleasing for us at Hannaton and reinforce our commitment to providing the best possible genetics to perform in commercial conditions.   

July 2014 Hannaton Muscle & Fat scanning 2013 Drop

Eye Muscle scanning ewe lambs at HannatonAs the demand for measured information has increased Hannaton will this year provide eye muscle and fat depths on all rams available at auction. In a further step to improve our ASBV accuracy on our sires, all ewes weaners have been run in one management mob to compare sires true breeding potential. Growth rates as well as eye muscle and fat depths have been measured to track earlier maturing ewes. This, combined with fleece weights and wool tests, will provide us and our clients with more knowledge to use in ram and bloodline selections to better suit our breeding objectives.  

July 2014 Hannaton Ewes lambing percentage up to 140%

The increased genetic focus on lambing percentage at Hannaton is starting to pay real dividends. With a tough start to lambing with very little paddock feed available we have been thrilled to have the best lambing percentages ever recorded at Hannaton. We have just marked our stud lambs with unscanned maiden ewes over 100% and older ewes up to 140%!! The Poll merino stud average was 114% To prove it is not a one off, lambing percentages have been steadily increasing for the past 8 years since we have increased its importance as a breeding focus. In the search for increased profits an improvement in lambing percentage is one of the best ways to increase farm productivity and should be a focus of all breeders in ram selection.  

June 2014 Hamilton Sale team selections at Hannaton

We have just selected our sale team for this years Hamilton Sheepvention sale and will be offering a team of 5 Poll Merino rams.

We belive the team is one of the best and most even we have ever offered.  With fantastic carcass attributes and excellent wools to match. We are very excited about the progress we continue to make with our stud as we strive to provide our clients with the best genetics available to achieve the best commercial returns for their businesses.

>>2014 Hamilton Sale Team

May 2014 Hannaton lambs wool top of the sale

We were excited with the recent sale of our lambs wool receiving top of the Arcadian Catalogue in the M48 sale.  Our recent focus on increasing staple length is really starting to have an impact on or fleece weights, especially in our lambs.  The lambs averaged wool cut of 2.6kg for 4.5 months growth in a tough season was very pleasing. This equates to an average return of $17.80 per head from their fleece alone. When you combine this with the return we have been getting for well finished wether lambs sold over the hooks it puts our merino lamb profits well above the returns on cross bred lambs. 

March 2014 Young rams for 2014 sale impressive at shearing

We have just completed our shearing for the 2014 Sale rams and are very happy with the way they have come through a tough and very hot and dry summer.  They are particularly even and the early growth in tough conditions, especially in the polls, is very pleasing.  With an extensive Artificial Insemination program it is exciting to have to top genetics in Australia available for our clients and to have them compared to our leading sires for ASBV's.  

Oct 2013 Hannaton 1 1/2 year old Ewes Sell Privately

This year we received an offer from a previous buyer of our young ewes too good to pass up.  Normally our ewes would be offered at the Bordetown off shears sale but with keen interest from a previous buyer we have withdrawn the ewes and accepted his pre auction offer. It was very pleasing to hear how well the ewes he has purchased in the past are performing for him, especially with their longevity, with his first purchase of Hannaton ewes still extremely productive at 6.5 years old.

Sep 2013 Hannton to offer 75 Stud Ewes

Hannaton will this year offer 75 stud merino ewes at their on property sale on Monday 9th September.  With ever improving lambing percentages these ewes are now surplus to stud requirements and provide an opportunity for our clients to invest in top quality ewes. 

Aug 2013 Hannaton rams turning heads at Hamilton Sheepvention

Hannaton rams have once again impressed at Hamilton Sheepvention.  We believed it was one of the best and most even teams of rams we have ever offered and this was reflected in the result.  With a top price of $4,000 and the highest average we have ever achieved of $3,450 we were obviously thrilled with the result. With the strong demand and interest shown at Hamilton we will once again be offering over 100 rams at auction on Monday the 9th of September.

Top selling Hannaton ram 12-0045 With some help from the Hamilton Sheepvention Wool Fashion Parade models Hannaton 12-0045 definitely turned heads. The ram went on to sell for our top price on the day.

  

 

 

 

 

 

Jun 2013 Hannaton Rams received attention at Hamilton Sheepvention

Comments by Bill Walker in his 2013 Classings CatalogueWe were very happy with our 2012 Sheepvention sale team and it seems others have taken notice as well. We appreciated these great comments by Bill Walker, Classings Ltd Murry Bridge, who has no connection to our stud but who was obviously impressed with the progress made in our polls.    

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 2013 Hannaton genetics again dominate Mundulla SA Hogget Competition

Congratulations to Hannaton clients Greg and Jenny Growden on winning the Mundulla SA hogget competition, making it 4 in a row for them and 6 in a row for Hannaton genetics.  Their two winning fleeces averaged 11.55 kg (over 25 lbs) each and were valued at more than $80 per fleece. Another great result for our South Australian clients.  We continually strive to breed commercially productive and profitable merinos so it's great to see this reflected in these competitions.   

Mar 2013 Hannaton host Best Wool Best Lamb information day

Hannaton will be the host for the West Wimmera Best Wool Best Lamb infromation day on 'Turning your reproductive potential into reality'. The presentation by Jason Trompf will cover - Late pregnancy nutrition, Lamb survival and Feed Budgeting.  The meeting will be on Wednesday the 27th of March from 9am-2pm with a BBQ lunch provided.  For more information contact Jonno or Peter or download the flyer here

Oct 2012 Hannton offer 200 1 1/2 year old ewes in Bordertown

Hannaton will be offering 200 1 1/2 year old surplus Merino and Poll Merino stud ewes next Wednesday the 17th of October in Bordertown. With constant improvements in lambing % more ewes are being produced and less are needed to breed replacements. This allows us to offer more young ewes and some of the best progeny we have ever sold. We welcome enquiries and invite everyone to come along and inspect them at the Bordertown off shear sale.  

Aug 2012 Excitement over Hannaton Polls at Sheepvention

Excitement over the Hannaton Sale TeamThe team at Hannaton were delighted with the result at the 2012 Hamilton Sheepvention ram sale.  Our team of 5 polls received many favourable comments and their quality stood out, especially being presented in paddock run conditions.  The 5 rams then sold for our best ever result at Hamilton, with a top price of $4,000 twice and averaging over $3,000. Spirited bidding on all 5 rams showed the strong demand for Hannaton's quality genetics. With this strong demand Hannaton will once again increase the number of rams available at our on property auction, offering 100 Merino and Poll Merino rams on Monday, September 10th.

Aug 2012 Hannaton Clients take 1st and 3rd in Sheepvention ewe weaner competition

Peter congratulating Les on his win in the ewe weaner competition The winning pen of ewes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hannaton Poll clients LR & EH Rentsch have taken out first prize in the Medium wool section of the Hamilton Sheepvention ewe weaner competition.  Hannaton clients Londsdale Partnership also had a great result, coming 3rd.  Success like this for our clients in commercial competitions and in the paddock is what Hannaton is striving for.  We pride ourselves on breeding sheep that perform in commercial conditions and would like to congratulate both entries on their fantastic results.

 Aug 2012 Greg and Jenny Growden make it a hat trick in the Mundulla Hoggett competition

For the third consecutive year Hannaton Poll clients Greg and Jenny Growden have taken out top honors at the long-running Mundulla (SA) hogget competition. This also makes it 5 in a row for Hannaton Merino clients and 6 wins in the past 7 years. The team at Hannaton are delighted to see our clients competing against other genetics and doing so well. We believe this is a true test of our studs continual focus on breeding the best performing commercial sheep.

Nov 2011 Hannaton surplus ewes top Bordertown off shear sale

Hannaton 1 1/2 year old stud surplus merino ewes topped the Bordertown off shear sale at $235.  The sale was quoted down on previous sales by the agents on the day but the team at Hannaton were thrilled with the price, selling $35 per head above the next highest pen of young merino ewes.  This follows a great year of off shear sales with clients earlier selling at $230 and $228 at the Bordertown October off shear sale.      

Sep 2011 Hannaton offer 190 surplus 1 1/2 year old ewes

This year Hannaton will offer 190 1 1/2 year old surplus stud ewes off shears.  With the constant improvements in lambing % more ewes are being produced and less are needed to breed replacements.  This means we have more young ewes available and are able to offer some of the best ewes we have sold. 

The wool tests from the September shearing from these ewes is 19.1 micron with a staple length of 99mm from 10 months wool growth. With an SD of 4.0,  a curvature of 52 and a comfort factor of 98.6.  These ewes will be offered in the Elders Bordertown off shear sale on the 16/11/2011.  Contact us for further details  

Aug 2011 Successive wins for Growdens makes Hannaton clients 4 in a row

For the second year in a row, Hannaton poll clients Greg and Jenny Growden have taken out top honors at the long-running Mundulla (SA) hogget competition. Their winning hogget fleece weighed in at an impressive 12.05 kg with a value of $122.40 taking out the Ed Champness Fleece of the Day trophy.  Second place also went to Hannaton clients, Gary and Angela Lock, with a fleece valued at $119.35.  Growdens also won the prize for the team of two fleeces with a combined value of $211.38.  This years win makes it four in a row for Hannaton genetics and 5 wins in the past 6 years.  The team at Hannaton is delighted to see our clients continual success in the paddock. We believe this is a true test of our breeding focus on commercial performance.    

Aug 2011 Hannaton Shines at Sheepvention

The team at Hannaton were thrilled with this years result at Hamilton Sheepvention.  The Hannaton rams were selected for the final of the top pen of five sale rams.  The top five teams were selected from 43 eligible sale pens from 3 states.  The final five was comprised of 2 Victorian teams, 2 NSW teams and 1 SA team.  This great result was then followed by a fantastic sale with Hannatons best ever result at Sheepvention and spririted bidding on all 5 rams available.  With many favourable comments on the team and increased demand for Hannaton genetics the on property sale on the 12th of September will once again see an increase in rams available at auction to allow all breeders to purchase their preferred rams.

Jul 2011 Lambing % key to increased profits at Hannaton

Hannaton Poll Merino Lambs from maiden ewesRecent high prices for lamb and mutton have lead to an increased focus on early maturity and lambing percentage at Hannaton.  We are delighted with the improvements shown and the results of our clients reporting lambing percentages in excess of 100%.  We were particularily pleased with the results of our 2011 drop lambs with the entire flock averaging over 100% lambs weaned.  We were thrilled with the results in our unscanned maiden poll ewes weaning 106%, a new record for our maiden ewes, and older ewes weaning up to 120%

Nov 2010 Hannaton 1 1/2 year old ewes top Horsham off shear Sale

The team at Hannaton has been thrilled with our clients succes in this years off shear sales and this has continued with Hannaton bred ewes topping the market at Horsham.  There was spirited bidding from many buyers for the pen of 183 1 1/2 year old ewes which were purchased and split between two buyers.  We see these strong commercial results as a real reflection of the continual progress being achieved with Hannaton genetics.     

Oct 2010 Hannaton genetics Top off shear Sale

Long time Hannaton Clients Gary and Angela Lock of Mundulla (SA) topped the Bordertown off shear sale with their young ewes selling at $175.  The 118 ewe weaners were bought through Elders Naracoorte for clients ME & SJ Ramsay, Western Flat SA.  Hannaton clients GB & JJ Growden's young ewes also sold well at $171. 

Aug 6th 2010 Greg Growden takes top honors at Mundulla (SA) Hogget Competition

Greg Growden accepting the trophy for Fleece of the Day Long time Hannaton Poll clients Greg and Jenny Growden broke Gary and Angela Locks (also Hannaton clients) hold on the Mundulla Ag Bureau Hogget Competition this year.  The Locks had won the title for the top sheep for the past two years, but this year Greg had an outstanding entry and went one better after placing second in last year's competition.

Greg's fleece of the day was an impressive 20.4 micron and yielded 77%, cut 10.5kg and was valued at $71.69 to take out the Ed Champness Trophy. Greg also broke the Locks back-to-back success in the team of 2 perpetual trophy with the value of his 2 fleeces being $124.15.  The Locks pair was valued at $115.35.  Greg had previously won the main section of the Mundulla competition in 2006.

2008/2009 Successive wins for Gary and Angela Lock

For the second year in a row, Hannaton clients Gary and Angela Lock have taken out the long-running Mundulla (SA) hogget competition with their top two fleeces valued at $118.
It is Linda-Vista's third win in seven years, which Gary puts down to changing to Hannaton bloodlines from Kaniva, which have lowered his micron without compensating on his heavy cutting fleece weights.
One of their two fleeces was the heaviest cutting and finest micron in the competition – a 17.7 micron fleece weighing 9.6 kilograms, valued at $68.65.
This fleece took out the Ed Champness Trophy, named in honour of Ed Champness who founded the event more than 50 years ago and celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this year.
The major event for the Mundulla Ag Bureau attracted 11 entries, each comprising three hoggets, which were run on Max Duell's property at Mundulla and shorn at Phil Salmon's shearing shed on August 7.
The fleeces were valued by Elders wool supply chain manager Steph Brooker-Jones, and the meat section was valued by Elders Bordertown territory sales manager Gary Douglas.
Gary Lock, who is also one of the competition organisers, says it enables entrants to receive current market valuations on their wool and also benchmark their breeding performance against others in the area.
"In the 17-19 micron range you still need to cut 8-9kg of wool to be in the top couple whereas those that cut 6-7kg finished down the list," he said.
Gary has been competing in the event since 1982 and said their property was still breeding more Merinos than Merino crosses for prime lamb production.
"You have got to have a base and we still reckon if you run a Merino on the same feed as a crossbred you can make as much money out of the Merino as the crossbred," he said.
Gary's next goal is to win three years in a row, which would be a first for the competition running in its present format since 1974.  

Sep 2009 25 years of on property auctions at Hannaton..

 

The first on property auction in 1984 The first on Property sale at Hannaton

  Above - The first On Property Auction in 1983 

 

On Property Sale 1990  Jonno & Peter before sale 1988

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Property Auction 1995 

  Part of our team of helpers 2009