What an exciting time to be in the merino industry with record lamb and sheep prices paired with a resurgence in the wool market really proving the suitability and profitability of the merino whilst putting a greater emphasis on having a dual-purpose merino enterprise.
Strong demand from China and a tightening Australian wool clip have lifted wool prices over the past 12 months. The AWEX Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) has risen to around 1,900–1,930 c/kg clean and 19-micron wool to around 2,376 c/kg. Australian wool production is forecast to fall 8.8% to 255 million kg, while AWTA test volumes are down 9.5% year-on-year. At the same time, buyers have increasingly favoured medium-fine Merino wool (18.5–20.5 micron) for its balance of comfort, performance and value in activewear and knitwear. Fantastic to see and rewarding for everyone who sticks with the merino!
Coming in from a drier start to Spring, we were pleased with shearing results, with grown ewes cutting an average of 7.5kg (greasy) of 19.6-micron wool. At today’s prices, and with an average yield of 66%, this nets $103.56/hd. On top of that, we expect lamb prices to remain strong for the next 18 months at least, with a record low merino flock across Australia. Current Lamb prices between $10-$11ckg/cwt or higher have been a great opportunity for us to capitalise on our automatic feedlot operations and value adding enterprises.
This year, we are very excited to announce the launch of our new non-mules family, HR-Select. This family will also focus on early-maturity, fertility and ease-of-care and we look forward to presenting the first rams in 2027. More details below.
We were thrilled to see the outstanding performance of our clients in ewe and wether trials this year and in sales and shows across the state. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your success so thank you to all who reported their results!
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Will and I were also thrilled to welcome our daughter Matilda on the 8th of October, 2025. She is settling in well to life at HR.
Thank you to all the new and existing clients who attended our Sale last year or who bought grade rams. We hope your first joining was a success and look forward to catching up with both new and existing clients this year at our Sale. I’d also like to thank everyone who keeps the wheels turning at Haddon Rig – your efforts are appreciated.