This year’s sale rams are a tremendous draft of high quality genetics.
Our focus on wool quality and staple length over the last 25 years has come to the fore in this year's sale rams.
These superior Dohne wools along with the renowned Macquarie growth rates deliver the ultimate balanced sheep.
These rams are May to July drop and are unhoused running on predominantly perennial grass pastures. As with our policy (except during drought) these rams have never received any grain or pellet in any form nor have they been run on irrigation.
This is the largest offering of Dohne rams at a single vendor auction in Eastern Australia giving clients a large selection.
Sires from 2 families with 19 sires represented in the sale offering clients a large genetic pool, with 165 rams up for auction.  Continue reading →

As 2024 winds down the improvement in the lamb market looks like continuing into 2025. Last week’s Eastern State Trade Lamb Indicator (ESTLI) averaged 884c up 15% on the 5-year average. Heavy lambs are making up to 800c and lightweight lambs have hit 1000c. Restockers have underpinned the store lamb market showing confidence for 2025. MLA is predicting a 1% drop in lamb production in 2025. Macquarie Dohnes enjoyed another highly successful year objectively and subjectively. Continue reading →

Macquarie continued it’s exemplary success at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show (ASWS) in Bendigo, where the Dohne was feature breed. Of the 29 broad ribbons on offer in the sheep and fleece showing, Macquarie won 22 of them including the Supreme Exhibit with a 5 year old Wardry family special stud donor ewe. This is on par with last years record ASWS success (24 broad ribbons). Macquarie has now won all 3 Supreme Exhibits at the ASWS; 2016, 2023 & 2024. Continue reading →

After three consecutive wet years along with high sheep and lamb prices, 2023 was disappointing on the price side coupled with the majority of our clients receiving well below average rainfall, fed sheep for most of the year and didn’t plant crops. Unfortunately the cost of production remains extremely high causing many sheep producers to cut back on numbers and, in some cases, get out of sheep altogether. As we know, livestock production is long term ….. especially genetically. The result of breeding decisions made now aren’t realised for twelve to twenty four months. As the year closes the lamb market is back to sustainable prices and wool EMI has picked up 100c. Unfortunately mutton and re-stocker prices remain below par. On a positive side, 2023 in some respects was one of our most successful. At the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in July, we had a record showing of the Dohne breed in Australia taking out 24 broad ribbons including Supreme exhibit, Grand Champion Junior and Senior ram, Grand Champion Pair, Grand Champion Group and Champion Group of 3 fleeces (5th time in succession) along with the Most Successful Exhibitor. Continue reading →

There is a growing preference amongst consumers for natural, biodegradable, sustainable and renewable materials. The forecast for global wool demand from 2023 to 2030 is an increase of 4.9%. As I’ve said before, this is where the Dohne shines … lower production costs, high fertility, doing ability, quality fine apparel wool, plain bodied, mules free, high growth rates and a prime lamb carcase. On a more positive note Macquarie has recorded its most successful year to date. Continue reading →

With commodity prices falling and the season tightening the gloss has somewhat come off agriculture. This is where the Dohne really shines ….. low production costs, low labour inputs, high fertility, doing ability, quality apparel wool, plain bodied, mules free, high growth rates and a quality prime lamb carcase. Although the wool market has lagged behind other agricultural commodities in recent years, it has been consistent . The fineness, staple strength, staple length and quality of Dohne wool along with the premium for non-mulesed wool still makes the wool component a profitable return. Coupled with early turn-off of quality prime lambs and low labour input, the Dohne package remains the most profitable sheep enterprise. This is evident in the results of Macquarie’s performance in merino sire evaluations in some of the most challenging sheep country in Australia. The results below speak for themselves. Continue reading →

As the year draws to a close our thoughts go out to those having had a difficult harvest due to the inclement weather and to those loved ones that have passed. On a positive note, we are midway through the embryo flushing of our elite high performing ewes with the first two programs yielding a remarkable 11.7 and 9.5 transferable embryos per ewe. These results will allow us to impregnate 800 recipient ewes with our best genetics. A big thank you to Greg and the Central West Genetics (CWG) team. Continue reading →

All 196 rams sold for a top price of $7000 and an average of $3518. Rams were sold to New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Queensland and spirited bidding lifted the stud average to a new high and what is believed to be a Dohne record average, after snatching that title from another which had taken the record just a day previously. Continue reading →