WOODYARRUP will offer 253 Merino and Poll Merino rams at the stud's annual on-property ram sale at Broomehill on Tuesday, October 4, commencing at 1pm.
The catalogue will feature rams of great constitution and quality wools backed with current fleece and body measurements and ASBVs.
These figures will be available on the Woodyarrup website from September 27.
Woodyarrup stud principal Craig Dewar believes the Merino is a wool and meat package, and knows it is not only important to produce a high quality heavy cutting fleece but also a quick maturing sheep to meet market demands for on the hook or on the boat.
As a result the stud is committed to producing Merino rams bred from high quality genetics to help clients maximise their return per hectare.
This is done through their own breeding system using objective and subjective tools and methods, partnered by ASBVs.
Mr Dewar said ASBV's were a critical tool in being able to increase genetic gain.
"If not using them, how can one know what they are or not achieving?" he said.
But he said there were some things buyers should remember when looking at ASBVs.
"Firstly they are designed to be used to compare the genetic potential of animals independent of their environment and location," he said.
"The traits producers should focus on when using ASBVs should be the ones that matter to their breeding objectives and their back pocket.
"The selection indexes can be used as a way of weighing up different traits for a particular breeding objective and indexes can be helpful to narrow down selection but the individual trait values must be considered."
Mr Dewar said sheep producers need to have clear breeding goals and objectives and purchase Merino genetics that best match a producer's own parameters.
"Every producer will have different breeding goals or objectives," he said.
"But we need to remember about 70 per cent of what sheep look like is what goes down its throat.
"Fleece traits have high heritability, growth rates have medium heritability and fertility has low heritability.
"These types of things need good knowledge when defining your breeding goals."
With the sheep flock more than halving over recent times, Mr Dewar said this decline must be halted and numbers rebuilt to meet expected future demands.
"The flock is now dominated by breeding ewes and their lambs so it's important to make sure your sire selection is having a positive impact on your business's profitability," he said.
"We can do this by improving reproduction rates, improve lamb survival and increase genetic gain."
Woodyarrup rams are ranked as a whole in the top 12 for ASBV and Index percentile band and have many individual ram traits in the top 1-10 for ASBV and Index percentile bands.
For example, the Woodyarrup 2015-drop average for Yearling Clean Fleece Weight is 19.7.
The average for fine/mediums across all YCFW ASBVs is 12.1 and Woodyarrup is 63pc higher.
Mr Dewar said the 2015 Woodyarrup sale saw 94 sons of 120175 catalogued with another 104 of his sons in this year's catalogue.
"I have never seen or heard of a ram having such an impact and then having trait leading ASBVs. This suggests to me he is phenotype and genotype proponent sire," he said.
Leading the sale in lot one is one of his son's 150281 who is out of a gold wool ewe.
This ram has boundless sire potential, is a very correct ram with great barrel and balance.
He possesses a strong soft sire's muzzle and his fleece is truly elite with white well crimped, long stapled, soft wool with good fluid nourishment. A ram that must be inspected.
His MP+ index of 158.42 places him in the top eight percentile band across Australia, his Yearling Fibre Diameter places him in the top 10 percentile band and his yearling weaning weight places him in the top 15 percentile band across Australia.
Lot two contains 50073 who is another 120175 and gold wool ewe son.
He was birthed as a twin and is another ram with great stud sire potential.
This ram has great correctness, balance and correctness with barrel.
He carries white deep defined crimp wool with excellent fluid nourishment and thickness.
His MP+ index of 165.25 places him in the top 4 percentile band across Australia, his yearling clean fleece weight places him in the top 7 percentile band and his yearling fibre diameter in the top 12 percentile band across Australia.
150037 will be offered in lot three and is also by 120175 and out of a gold wool ewe.
This ram has been selected out of the Woodyarrup stud reserves and has outstanding sire potential.
He is extremely well bred on both his sire and dam side, is very correct with good leg structure and has magnificent presence and stance.
He has a great length of body and carries a true sire's wool, with excellent fluid nourishment.
This ram has a MP+ index of 153.63 which ranks him in the top 15 percentile band across Australia and his yearling clean fleece weight places him in the top 10 percentile range across Australia.
The Dewars and the Woodyarrup team look forward to seeing their clients and any new potential buyers at the sale.
Craig can be contacted on 0429 100 239 or craig@woodyarrup.com.au.