230 Rams for Auction. Pooginook Dual Purpose Merino Confirmed. Pooginook Ram Sale. Elite wool from Unique Genetics POOGINOOK DIARY:

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1 JULY 2007 POOGINOOK NEWS Also available on Edition No. 36 Elite wool from Unique Genetics POOGINOOK DIARY: 230 Rams for Auction Pooginook Ram Sale Tuesday October At Pooginook pm IN THIS EDITION P/GK Tops Merinos To Match highest performer Judging Bendigo Sheep Show Challenge to build Merino ewe numbers Producing the Modern Merino Pooginook Merino Jerilderie New South Wales 2716 Pat Brown Sales Manager Ph Fax Mob Neville Kelly P/GK Queensland contact & Sheep classing consultant Ph Ph Fax pooginook@bigpond.com Website Pooginook Dual Purpose Merino Confirmed The prestigious Merinos To Match trial 2006 final results saw the Pooginook blood line top the Clean and Greasy Fleece weight and body weights and Dual Purpose indicator. The Victorian trial was conducted by Victorian Department of Primary Industries. The Trial involved commercial wethers from twenty nine Merino Bloodlines from 4 states of Australia and was evaluated at Hamilton, Stawell, Elmore and Dookie over a 4 year period. Each team consisted of 24 wethers. Final results saw the Pooginook bloodline top: The Clean and greasy Fleece Weights Body Weights Dual Purpose indicator indexed at 3.5%. According to trial co coordinator Jane Court the financial comparisons between using different studs to meet different breeding objectives. By reporting them in $/Dry Sheep Equivalent ($/DSE) rather than per head means body weight and stocking rate is taken into account. The dollar return implication from the results showed. 1. The range in returns for increasing body weight and fleece weight (dual purpose 3.5% index) was $3.41/DSE/Year. This equated to a range in improved returns from worst to best of $10.230/year for a 3000 wether flock. > Figure 1: Indexes for Dual Purpose 3.5% Merino 7% and Merino 14% figures are deviation from the mean. 2. Similarly for those who aim to increase fleece weight and maintain a slightly reduced fibre diameter (using the Merino 7%index the range was $2.59/DSE/year, equating to a range of $7700/ year for a 3000 wether flock. 3. If wishing to significantly reduce fibre diameter and maintain fleece weight (using a Merino 14% index, the range was $3.12/DSW/year, giving a range of $9360/year for a 3000 wether flock. 4. The annual improved returns depending on breeding objectives for an average flock of 3000 medium Merino wethers is about $4000 to $5000 per year. > Figure 2: Based on the three selection indexes. Pooginook is the top ranking Dual Purpose Merino in the cross trial analysis Trial Range per DSE Trial average return based on 3000 wethers Dual Purpose 3.5% $/DSE/Year $3.41 $ % Merino $/DSE/Year $2.6 $7700 Merino 14%$/DSE/year $3.12 $9360 Merinos to Match Across Site report or

2 Ram Buyers Profile Twin Creek Pastoral Co: Kapunda South Australia Kym, Peter and Jill Mosey Twin Creek Pastoral Co: Merino Breeding ewes 2650 Area 3200 ha Average Rainfall 450 mm 2006 Rain fall 290mm Enterprises 1200 ha wheat, canola, barley vetch and oat hay 2007 lambing Currently lambing but 95% conception Kym Mosey from Kapunda SA first made contact with Pooginook when surfing the internet in September A few hours later he was spotted bidding at the Pooginook Ram sale. Since then he has made the 8 hour journey to the October ram sale annually becoming one of the major buyers at the sale. Kym was looking to improve the wool type and overall quality of the Twin Creek flock formally based on Hazeldean blood To hasten his objectives he has purchased Pooginook blood ewes from clients, bought top rams out of the auction and followed up with rigid classing programme aided by Pat Brown. Each year all the ewes are in-shed fibre tested. Kym sees this as a real plus especially now the wool market has reached 10 year highs. The Moseys chose Pooginook genetics to soften and brighten up the Twin Creek wool. This has certainly been achieved according to Kym. We sold a lot of our ewes and replaced them with P/GK Blood ewes from Kym Jill and Peter Mosey Twin Creek Pastoral Co at the Adelaide Show 2006 East Borambil at Condobolin. Narawong, Hay and Breeza north of Dubbo. By making a quick transition it has put us ahead 10 to 15 years. We needed quality ewes to get started. The support within the Pooginook network has been fantastic. I have studied trial results and benefited from sharing information with other like minded growers. In 2006 the Mosey family exhibited at the 2006 Royal Adelaide Show with 9 fleeces. They were awarded: Champion and Grand Champion Merino Lambs wool Fleeces. Awarded 5 ribbons plus the champions. Management Tips Matthew Hallam, manager of Landmark Wagga Wagga suggested producers ask them selves if their management is in tune with the genetic potential of their sheep. He said higher grade genetics have a better feed conversion rate and sheep are efficient feed converters to product. Mr Hallam spoke on Feeding Merino Weaners to Market at the Pooginook Wool Initiative and Landmark workshop held at East Borambil last year. He said it was vital that producers are aware of the entry weight and exit rate of sheep on feed to calculate efficiencies because you cannot improve what you cannot measure. A conversion rate of 4:1 was good with Merinos however the first $40 you make is the easiest. The value adding of wethers is a higher risk. And it is important to measure and know what your conversion rates and costs are. The actual cost of the feed is not as important as feed conversion. The genetic potential of Merinos has changed and growers need to focus on stocking rate, price of lamb, and cost of production to increase the return on investment. He said you have to consider the feedlot in relation to the rest of the farm. Consider the death rate in the paddock compared to in feedlot, disease, and cost of grain or compare costs of irrigated pasture. Quotable quote: I guess the Pooginook purchases are making there mark at Twin Creek. The wool is brighter, softer with great character. John & Anthea Sutherland East Borambil and David Taylor after winning first in the Short Wool section at the Condobolin Don Brown Ewe Hogget Competiton Comments from Andries Pienaar from South Africa judge at the 2007 Don Brown competiton regarding the East Borambil sheep. Conformation and type is excellent your uniformity is exceptional. The sheep are far above averge in evenness and growth. The sheep are very even and free of major faults. Wool quality is good and the right percentage of body weight. Fertility is very good. Congratulations with a top flock of sheep, carry on the good work. You are going places.

3 Wool is more than just a natural fibre Our Challenge is to build up Ewe numbers The world does need wool and we need more ewes, David Taylor Natural fibres are in demand and critical in these environmentally aware times. Wool is both renewable and biodegradable, Wool is durable and has the ability to breathe and retain moisture and warmth. It is stylish and has longevity. The ability of the Merino to sustain and produce on dry country makes for a bright future. The sheep and livestock industry has kept many of us in business over the past dry seasons. We now look forward to reap the rewards. On a more reflective note, the past few years have seen low lambing and continued drought. However the emphasis continues on management and production targets. We have all learnt from the drought. It has reinforced the importance of protein levels of feed for maximizing production in lambs wool and meat. It also gives us the flow on by value adding young ewes and wethers. This has been apparent when I visit our customers and talk to wool growers over the past few years. The better managers who have early strategies for coping with dry times come out of the drought faster. At Pooginook we off loaded early and reduced ewe numbers to We invested in high protein grains and maintained the ewes in score 3 plus condition throughout. It was expensive but the results have been rewarding. We recommend a pre-joining feed of 500 gms of lupins per day for 2 weeks prior to the rams going out and one week after. We achieved a 95% conception rate. In some mobs the twinning rate was over 60%. In March we shore all the breeding ewes with 6 months wool- a drought strategy that has paid dividends. The ewes have lambed in top condition and losses have been nil. The average cut per head was 4.5 kg and length of wool was 61 mm. The wool was sold in April and averaged $1050 per bale. While the wool market is up we intend to continue this practice of shearing every 6 months. The extra lambs and better conception and survival rates makes up the loss in extra costs. The health of the breeding ewe is enhanced resulting in higher weaning rates. Key to top production of Merinos 1. Aim to get Maiden ewes to 55 kg for joining 2. Pregnancy test and identify twin lambs and feed twinning ewes 20% more feed prior to lambing month management plan for rams ( ask us for ram management information) 4. Consider shearing every 6 months while wool prices are up. You will increase lambing outcomes Pooginook Notes From Graham Strong from Acacia, Narrandera To Pooginook Sent October 2006 Subject Comment from a Pooginook Customer PGK s positive, progressive approach is why we are still in wool & will continue to be. Our management has improved a lot in recent years, and I feel this is because weve been encouraged by you guys. Genetics is only part of picture. If we see you working hard and being progressive & positive then it gives us a kick along to do the same. Probably goes both ways, and that s a good thing. Over the last few years as things have been really coming together, wool has returned quite reasonably. Aside from the clip, when you take into account that wool provides the base for our meat merinos & 2-3 hundred 1st x lambs each year, there s no other livestock enterprise more profitable. If you do the figures, having a primary merino ewe base will beat things like 2nd cross operations hands down every time. I think all these people thinking jumping on the Dorper bandwagon etc. need to do their figures! The type or breed of livestock that you run is not a replacement for good management. We ve just finished our main shearing. Our classer commented it was the best quality he d seen this year. We shore 1900 ewes and got 65 bales, with only 1 light bale of tender. Cheers Graham Strong Judging at Bendigo Show David Taylor will be judging the Medium Wool Merinos at the Bendigo Sheep Show on July Pooginook will also have a display in the Riverina Field Days Marquee. So come and visit. List excess ewes & wethers on We are updating our website for the Spring with excess sheep sale for the season Please contact Pat Brown on , pooginook@bigpond.com with details of type of sheep shearing, number and comments. Natural Instinct Wool Remember to rug up with Natural Instinct Wool Wear. Easy Care 85% medium micron Merino wool (20.5 micron wool) All Australian made casual wear. The non woven wool is ideal outdoor wear. The fabric has natural wind repellent properties. MyVest ($80 to $85) available in Navy Blue, Black Bottle, Green sizes Small ladies & men s to 4X MyZipTop & MyTop ($85 to $90) Available in Navy Blue MySox only $12 in regular cm or King Size 30 to 35 cm My Pillow Cover a protective cover for your favorite pillow. $25 MyBabyWrap and Blankets various prices to size see order form Great casual or work sox. Natural Instinct will be at Bendigo Sheep Show July 21 to 23 Visit our website order on line or phone fax

4 Annual Ram sale The Pooginook Ram sale was the biggest Merino sale for a single vendor in Australia last year. Rams went to most wool growing areas of Australian with a large contingent of Western Australian buyers. Cora Lyn Merino Stud at Peak Hill purchased the top priced ram for $7000 a son of P/GK Jewell The ram had a micron of 20.6, SD 3.7 and GFW% of 110% Western Australian buyer Craigmore Pastoral Co paid $5500 and $3000 while Tony Inder from Allendale Merino Stud Goolma paid $5000 for son of a syndicate joining of Jewell rams. The big bodied ram had a GFW% of 124 and micron of 16.9 and SD of 3.6. Bulk buyers were the Sutherland family from East Borambil Condobolin paying to $2600 for 11 rams and averaging $1665, The Matiske family from Geraldra Stockinbingal secured 5 rams to a top of $3250. Regular buyer from South Australia Kim Mosey from Twin Creek Past Co paid an average of $1550 for 11 rams while JS & BA Jose from Medindie SA purchased 6 rams. WA Merino Week P/GK attracted spirited bidding The strong enquiry for Pooginook sheep in the WA market was highlighted at the Katanning ram sale in July last year when 2 Pooginook rams sold for $15000 and $7000. Both rams were August shorn rams and were penned beside 4 tooth March shorn sheep. The P/GK rams were the only young 2 tooth rams in the sale. The rams created a lot of interest for their wool type. The $15000 ram was purchased by a syndicate of four wool growers. Mitchell Crosby from St Quentin stud Nyabing, Kelvin and Roger Crosby at Woodanilling and Jason Griffith from Canowie Fields, Gairdner River. The loosing bidder was Kevin Keatley from Hyfields stud, Kojonup. The second ram also attracted spirited bidding and sold for $7000 to Ballochmyle Grazing Co Cranbrook. The Katanning ram sale is an annual event but combined with the 7the World Merino Conference in Perth was a week long event. It attracted a lot of enthusiasm in the Merino Industry. The West Australian organizers of the conference and ram sale are to be congratulated on outstanding event. $17500 ram to Argentina 2006 Ram Sales Each year Australia is visited by groups of prospective ram buyers from South Africa and Argentina. This year Estanica Tecka a Merino stud in Patagonia Argentina purchased a ram from Pooginook. They selected the upstanding plain bodied ram for his excellent wool cover and scale. David Taylor with Steven Lindsay from Cora Lyn Merino stud Peak Hill and sheep classer Alan Clarke from Dubbo 2 tooth PGK Ram sold for $15000 to a syndicate of 4 buyers. With David Taylor or Mitchell Crosby St Quentin Nyabing, classer Philip Russell, and buyers Roger and Kelvin Crosby from Woodanilling. P/GK sold to Argentina. Wool Market Summary - Gerald Baker The wool market has over the last 15 months been on a steady rise and the result has been much more acceptable returns to growers for their efforts. Merino prices have on average lifted to 30% above last year s levels. The increase has been aided by a genuine improvement in demand. Over more recent months the market has been driven by the constraints in wool supply rather than pure demand. Prices to customers need to be considered in the main purchasing currency namely the US dollar; and prices have been pushed to 17 year high. China continues to dominate with 65% of exports going to this destination this season. The peak in 2003 was $A12/kg and $US7/ kg while recently the market was around $A10/kg and over $US/kg with the exchange rate reaching 85 cent A to the US dollar. Over the last 3 weeks the market has eased and the challenge is for the market to stablise; noting that a considerable amount of on hold wool has been moved out this season. Production is not expected to increase next season and the outlook is for significant reductions in wool available to the market.

5 Top Clean and Greasy Fleece Weight Reprint from Australian Farm Journal by Pat Francis Stud Breeders Perspective David Taylor Pooginook was one of the solid performing middle micron bloodlines across the three indexes measured in the Merino to Match trial. Its clients wethers were the leaders in the dual-purpose index, high performers in the Merino 7% and positive in the Merino 14% index. This reflects relatively strong dual-purpose genetic traits in Pooginook breeding. Principal of Pooginook Merino Stud, Jerilderie, NSW, David Taylor, says the Merinos to Match index results are a reflection of the genetic direction in which he has been taking the flock. Dual-purpose Merino translates to me as animals with high body weights balanced with high fleece weights of middle to low micron. We use a scatter of tools to assist us in achieving this. he says. One of the most important tools used for the past 13 years has been body weighing rams and ewes when classing. At the same time we use fleece analysis to make sure we have the product in balance. We mate like to like to further fix these traits, Taylor says. The result is little wastage - a huge problem in the Merino industry generally when introducing too much outside genetics. The results have been maintenance of fleece weight, while over the past six years we have dropped our micron on an average for the adult sheep of We have achieved this by using measurement and really focusing on the coarse edge (fibres over 30 microns). By doing that? (the?) micron had to fall and we have held our type. Given the habitability of the major traits, body weight, fleece weight and micron are high and predictable. Taylor says clients flocks are experiencing the changes predicted for dual-purpose sheep. They are producing plainer easier care sheep, maintaining fleece weight (some of our clients are still cutting too much wool but generally in better country) and seeing their microns continuing to drop. Adult sheep today across the board are averaging in the area of 20 to 20.4 microns, he says. According to Taylor the most important commercial message from the trial is the massive range between the bloodlines in dollar value as exhibited by the indexes. Merinos to Match indexes did not include current wool prices; Even so the bottom line on the balanced Merino is very hard to beat - not only is the micron in mainstream are of 20 micron (hogget ewes down to 17m) but the meat and restocker trade pay premiums for the larger plainer carcass. The meat trade is looking very promising, but what about wool? The superfine wool sector would be hard pressed to compare financially with a dual-purpose sheep as they miss out on the meat and restocker trade, he says Ram Grades Flock rams available from $500 to $800 Specially Selected $1000 Stud rams available on request (Prices quoted exclude GST) Ewes available from September Semen catalogue available at or mail on request. All rams will be Fibre Diameter Analysis tested taken first week September rams available from September (NSW Stud Merino Breeders Testing Accreditation) New Orders Welcome Contact Pat Brown to book a ram selection time Phone: or Fax: Programme for Pooginook July Bendigo Sheep Show Display VIC August 6-7 Mon Tues Hamilton Sheepvention 5 Rams VIC 5 rams August TBC PGK Wool Initiative workshop on farm or Wool Processor Tour October 2 Pooginook Ram Sale on property NSW Ram Sale Catalogues On Line from mid September Updates and sale Catalogues On Line Breeding, marketing, Pooginook Wool Initiative Progressive wool marketing Environment and production

6 Proven Semen Sire FEATURE RAM P/GK Balance 5.18 Born: June 2005 Fleece Tests March 06 Sept 06 FD CV SD Tag No: CF Sire: Toland W611 AI GFW% 112 Sire: $50 ex GST per dose. 10% discount orders of over 100 doses Description: Pooginook Balance is the 2006 Elders Riverina Ram of the Year. Senior judge Ross McGauchie from Terrick West in Victoria said Pooginook Balance is an outstanding ram and very correct. Balance is an uncomplicated pure wool ram on a rectangular structure. His body weight of 89 kg June 2006 is an excellent weight for a 12 month old ram. P/GK Balance is the foundation sire of the new family called Four Corners PGK Balance achieved 117% lambing in paddock mate condition. Data from Merino Select May 21 Analysis 2006 SGA Sire Tag YCfw% Yfd YFdcv Staple length P/GK 8.16 Pooginook Boxer Born: June 1998 Tag No: PGK Boxer is a special purpose ram. He is long bodied and robust in appearance. His structure is good and heavy boned. Boxer has a clean and open head. The skin is pliable and carries a moderate front. The wool is very soft, well marked and free growing. Boxer is best mated to top ewes showing some skin pleating or skin complication. The progeny are very predictable to the sire type. Boxer is a potent and recommended sire. His body weight was 132 k.g. on September FD 20, CV 16.5, SD 3.3 CF Y Yearling measurement H Hogget For more information of the SGA go the website Boxer semen is available for $50 per ewe dose plus GST for more information on Boxer visit Staple strength Hwt Ywt 3.5% Dual Purpose Index 7% Merino wool + LW emphasis Boxer Millennium Jewell Take up the challenge - to breed more Merinos But make sure they re Pooginook Merino Leading Dual Purpose 3.5% index bloodline in the Merinos To Match 2006 final trial analysis 14% You re invited to the Pooginook Ram Sale: 220 Rams for auction Tuesday 2nd October 2007, 12.30pm FDA tested September 2007 Rams available for private selection MEDIUM WOOL BALANCED OF BODY WEIGHT & WOOL QUALITY STRONG NETWORK OF P/GK GROWERS TOP BRAND NAME MN3 Contact , Pat Brown , Nev Kelly , Pooginook Jerilderie NSW 2716, for catalogues & updates