Consistent breeding, classing gives Dungarven its second Elders SA Clip of Year

His 136 bale Dungarven clip which was also the April monthly winner took top honours from about 1200 clients which sold about 110,000 bales in the 2022-2023 selling season.

The awards in their 33^rd year recognise stand out clips for wool quality which have been well prepared in the shed with accurate classers specifications.

The supreme clip which was shorn in February and offered at auction in Melbourne about a month later attracted the buyers attention on the showfloor and sold to eight different buyers.

It also tested well with a staple strength of 35.5 Newtons per kilotex, great evenness of length with a coefficient of variation of 13.1 per cent and low staple midbreak of 30.1pc.

Mr Kidman was emotional about the win remembering the excitement his late wife Glenda had shown in 2019 when they received the accolade for the first time.

He said it was nice to be acknowledged for something he had been passionate about for more than 50 years but said the win was the recognition his "brilliant classer" Meagan Whitehead from Millicent deserved.

She first classed his shed in the early 2000s and after taking time out to have a family has returned.

"Whatever you do in life it is nice for people to think you are doing it right or you are at least having a crack," he said.

"This award is not about me though, life is about having good people around you."

Mr Kidman acknowledged it was a challenge to run Merinos in a 650mm rainfall area but he credited his late sheep classer Mike Skirmer, Hexham, Vic, for improving the wool quality in his flock.

Dungarven has been a closed flock for the past 20 years producing high yielding, medium wool and prior to that had an infusion of Hazeldean bloodlines.

"A lot of people probably think what are you doing it for but I still think they are probably as profitable as any crossbred enterprise," he said.

"I am a great believer that a ewe produces a lamb whether it is a Merino or a composite, you have to pay to shear them so you might as well get paid for the wool."

Ms Whitehead who only classes two clips a year heaped praise on Mr Kidman for the great pride that he took in his sheep breeding .

"It is very soft wool, you can feel how soft it is on your hands and arms," she said.

She was thrilled with the accolade having only once classed a monthly award winner in Victoria

Mr Kidman's district wool manager Steph Brooker-Jones said the test results showed the consistency of the flock with only 0.2 of a micron difference between many fleece lines.

"No one ever expects to win it (Clip of the Year) twice but it is a very good clip, it almost classes itself with John's long term breeding plan and how the sheep have already been classed," she said.

She said the above average spring in the South East in 2022 had played into Mr Kidman's favour and kept the vegetable matter content low.

The fleece lines were under one percent.

"With his management having a late lambing and January-February shearing he has managed a higher tensile strength and low mid point break."

Elders SA and Vic wool manager Lachie Brown said recognising well prepared clips was more important than ever with the buyers noticing more underskirted fleeces and mixed lines being presented for sale.

"The buyers feedback is the preparation of the Australian wool clip is worsening over time and compared to other countries we are losing ground," he said.

"We feel as a company it is important to recognise what you are doing as growers, as classers, as shed staff and as managers in terms of how your wool is classed and how it is bred."

Unlike 20 years ago when the national clip was much larger Mr Brown says buyers were now recognising brands and commenting on individual clips on the showfloor. This had been taken into account in the Clip of the Year awards.

"We certainly consult with the buyers because they are your customers, they are the ones purchasing it and sending it off to be processed," he said.

Also at the awards night Roger Daniell, who had his last official day with Elders in December and will retire in October, was recognised for his 30 years with the company.

After farming at Yallunda Flat for a while in the early 1990s he joined Elders as a receivals clerk at Gillman wool stores which at the time were receiving about 350,000 bales a year.

A few years later he returned to country life as an Elders livestock agent at Port Augusta then Lameroo and then Burra. For the past 15 years he has been a district wool manager based in the Mid North.

July: JAS Mosey & Co, Robertstown (Fingerpost)

August: SP&SM Mannion, White Cliffs, NSW (MB/Oakvale)

September: The Oaks, Hawker (The Oaks/W)

October: PB Roberts, Goodonga Props, Auburn (Goodonga)

November: Boulders Pastoral Co, Port Kenny (The Boulder)

December: Moorundie South, Keith (Moorundie)

January: WV James & Son, Lucindale (Cooranga/WVJ)

February: DR&JA Trethewey, Parndana (Moreview/KI)

March: Hotchin Props Pastoral Trust, Tibooburra, NSW (Mt Sturt)

April: JD&G Kidman, Penola (Dungarven)

May: Willson River Trading Pty Ltd, Penneshaw (W/Bar/Willson River)

June: Richard Harkness, Tintinara (Gumburra/Park)