At last week’s Newcastle Wool sales a bale of 13.6 micron hogget wool sold by Schute Bell on account of John and Barbara Ross, “Old Belmont”, Black Mountain, sold for 10,500 per kg (greasy). A second bale of 14.5 micron wool sold for 7,200 cents per kg.

The 13.6 micron bale was the finest ever sold by Schute Bell and the price was a record for them.

John and Barbara run a small flock of 250 hoggets and were able to achieve this result on heavy basalt country with improved pastures with sheep that were neither shedded nor coated.

The Ross’ have been individually testing their hoggets for the past 14 years. They have used the results as a breeding tool, to the point where their ewes are genetically very fine.

Finding equally fine rams to join to these ewes is now their biggest problem, especially as Kath and Huntley Gordon from Cromarty Stud have retired. Rams bought from lighter country have been found to blow out by up to 6 microns, but the rams from Cromarty had been bred on the same basalt country as Black Mountain, and the Ross’ owe much of their success to the bloodline from this former Ben Lomond Stud.