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Dohnes Push Gross Margin In Low Rainfall

HEAVIER CARCASS weights, lambing ease and higher marking percentages of Dohne sheep have resulted in a gross margin more than comparable with cropping for South Australian farmer Chris Curnow. Chris and his wife Ann farm 600ha at Avon, on the Adelaide Plains, and run a flock of 700 Dohne ewes in conjunction with a cropping enterprise. The Curnows are members of a Sheep Connect sponsored benchmarking group, and have a handle on just how profitable their Dohnes are. Continue reading

On farm 21-day joining trial a success

This season Mr South, along with leading livestock hand Kelly Gorter, decided to try a 21-day joining program with a mob of their Dohne ewes, after seeing some positive results over the past few years since coming back to a 28-day period from 30 days and before that a more traditional 35-day joining. Ms Gorter said the mob of 650 red and blue tag Dohne ewes, which had all scanned with twins last year, identified by the records made using their electronic tags, were mated to Dohne rams at two per cent for just 21 days and the results were "pleasing". "We'd been scanning about 3-5 per cent drys for the oldest age groups of ewes at 28 days so we budgeted on having 10-15pc dry's for the 21-day joining," Ms Gorter said. Continue reading

Easy Choice When all Added Up

"We can’t justify breeding crossbred lambs anymore because the Dohne lambs bring in more money." INTRODUCING the Dohne breed and a new feeding system has increased lamb survival rates and profits for the Boyne family. Peter Boyne, together with his brother Richard and his wife Fran and their two children Shane and Reece own 8000 hectares in the Koorda district in WA and over the last four years have undergone a transformation of the Dohne kind. Due to the dry seasonal conditions and management reasons the Boynes have recently made the decision to phase out their Merinos and slowly breed up to a pure Dohne flock.   Continue reading

Meeting Non Mulesed Wool Demands

IN a world becoming increasingly socially conscious on animal welfare, social responsibility and environmental sustainability, the wool industry will always be subject to constant change and innovation. Over the past 30 years, and in particular the past 3, mulesing has been at the forefront of focus from both within and beyond the industry. While Australia and New Zealand are at the global forefront of not only government regulation but also a communal push to improve their practices, it can be seen that the most significant influence on the wool industry is from consumers and retailers. Continue reading

Dohne Wool Stacks Up in Pastoral Zone

KEEPING A FOCUS on the wool side of the equation, James and Josephine Clark’s Dohne flock is producing good results. In fact, they’re even giving some Merino producers a run for their money. Continue reading

Dohne Lamb Delights All Stars MasterChef

2020 All Stars Masterchef contestant Hayden Quinn, was lucky enough to wrap his fangs around some very good Dohne Merino lamb from Trevor, Kaye and Nigel Bottrall’s farm “Greenslopes” in Jamestown, South Australia. Unwrapping the lamb the high quality of the meat was immediately obvious just from looking at the different cuts; the deep red meat is surrounded by a consistent, milky white fat layer which is perfect to ensure the meat remains tender and moist during cooking. Continue reading

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Australian Dohne Breeders' Association
Australian Dohne Breeders' Association1 day ago
Dohne carcase and wool profitability shines through to win iconic wether trial
The dual-purpose traits of wool and carcase gave the Dohne breed the edge to dominate the prestigious 2025/2026 Walgett Show Merino Wether Trial, taking out the overall champion.
The results were announced at the 86th annual Walgett Show on May 9-10 following the shearing of the 16 competing teams in March.
David Berrell and Annie Berrell, Midgery Dohne Merino Stud, Walgett, won the Fletchers International Exporters champion team trophy (combined wool and carcase) in what is billed as the nation’s and world’s longest running wether trial.
Midgery also won the Nutrien Clemson Hiscox & Co Trophy for the carcase class.
The teams of eight wethers were run as a single mob for 12 months at a host property at Carinda before visual and objective data collection at shearing and slaughter. The scores from the top six sheep in each team were collated to determine the placings.
In second place was a team from Mark and Caitlin Currey along with Mark’s parents, Jim and Sue Currey, Bogewong Butcher Co. Walgett, reinforcing the Dohne breed’s wool and carcase quality and consistency.
Article courtesy of Outcross Media Kim Woods.
Read full story at https://dohne.com.au/dohne-carcase-and-wool-profitability-shines-through-to-win-iconic-wether-trial/
#DohneMerino #Dohnes #SheepIndustry #DohneAdvantage #DualPurposeProfitability #WalgettWetherTrial
Australian Dohne Breeders' Association
Australian Dohne Breeders' Association1 day ago
It's fantastic to see students preparing for the 2026 Dohne Prime Lamb Schools Competition Through hands-on learning, these young people are developing valuable skills in sheep husbandry, nutrition, fleece and meat quality assessment, and animal presentation.
The Australian Dohne Breeders' Association wishes the St Matthews Catholic School, Mudgee team all the best as they prepare for Orange. We look forward to seeing their hard work and dedication on display at the 2026 Dohne Prime Lamb Schools Competition.
#DohneMerino #Dohnes #PrimeLambCompetition #YouthInAgriculture #FutureFarmers #NSWAgriculture #SheepIndustry #DohneAdvantage #OrangeNSW #AgriculturalEducation #AustralianDohneBreedersAssociation #primelambschoolscompetition