Madrino Afrinos and Merinos - Latest News and Testimonials

Madrino finish in the top 10 for the WAMMCO state prime lamb carcase competition.
The first time that a line of Afrino lambs were entered in WA's biggest carcase competition they finished in ninth place.
The line of 101 lambs dressed out at an average of 25.2kg with 12% fat score 2, 78% fat score 3 and 10% fat score 4 with 99% achieving the maximum price / kg.

“Evan consigned 100 F1 Afrino x Merino lambs in December 2006 to WAMMCO International as part of the 2006 State Carcase Competition. This competition takes into account the ability of the producer as well as the ability of the breed to meet particular carcase weight and carcase fatness grids. The competition also estimates the amount of red meat on each carcase as predicted by VIAscan and rewards producers with high lean meat loin yields.
The 100 Afrino F1 carcases averaged 25.2kg with 12% fat score 2, 78% fat score 3 and 10% fat score 4 with 99% achieving the maximum price / kg.
These particular carcases would suit many markets around the world. However, as with any breed there is room to improve and we encourage the Maddock's to continue to increase the amount of muscle on the Afrino progeny and look forward to receiving a line of F2 carcases to evaluate.”

Rob Davidson - WAMMCO supply development manager

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2007 Sale Results

ON-PROPERTY SALE

Landmark auctioneer Nathan King (left), with Landmark Mukinbudin
agent Terry Norrish, who was bidding on behalf of the $4000 top priced
Afrino buyer Stoney Pastoral Co, Bert Maddock and Madrino stud principal
Evan Maddock holding the top priced Afrino ram.

Sale Results

	Offered	Sold	Top	Gross	Average
Afrino	25	25	$4000	$84,500	$3380
Merino	45	39	$1100	$21,150	$542

MERREDIN MATERNAL BREEDS RAM SALE

Landmark Mukinbudin agent Terry Norrish (left) with the top priced
Afrino ram he purchased on behalf of his client Kim Maddock for $3300,
with Madrino stud principal Evan Maddock and
Landmark Merredin branch manager Andrew Peters.

2006 SAle results

Afrinos
Offered: 18
Sold: 17
Top: $4000
Gross: $55,600
Average: $3270

Poll Merino and Merinos
Offered: 57
Sold: 34
Top: $850 (2)
Gross: $17,350
Average: $510

Afrino

top_afrino
Landmark auctioneer Nathan King (left), buyer Geoff Ballard, Narrogin, and Madrino principal Evan Maddock with the $4000 top price Afrino bought by Mr Ballard at the 2006 Madrino on-property sale.

Top Price Poll merino

TOP_POLL

The top price Poll Merino at the 2006 Madrino on-property sale
sold for $850. With the ram are Landmark auctioneer Nathan King (left), Drew Maddock, Madrino, buyer Geoffrey Bent, Mukinbudin, and Madrino principal Evan Maddock.

SALE REPORT
This year the Madrino stud increased their offering from five rams to 18 at the its on-property sale in September and the demand for the breed continued with all but one selling on the day.
All up there were 16 rams sold under the hammer for a $3288 average, while another sold immediately after the sale for $3000. Top price buyer was Geoff and Rose Ballard, Narrogin, who took interest in the Afrino after seeing Evan display the breed at the Wagin Woolorama.
Mr Ballard paid the top for one of the finer fleeces in the offering, displaying 21.1 micron and 99pc CF.
The ram weighed in at 98kg, with an EMD of 41 and a fat score of 7. Mr Ballard currently runs about 3000 Merinos on his Narrogin property, and said he favoured the easy care nature of the Afrino.Traditionally breeding for wool, Mr Ballard has been leaning more towards meat production.
“They are more of a meat sheep and I’m a bit sick of wool being so flat, there is more of a demand for meat,” he said. “We are looking to get our shipping weights up.
“This particular ram has a good body weight and reasonable wool.”
An interesting buyer on the day was the new owners of The Grange, Stoney Pastoral Co of Esperance, whose Landmark agent eagerly snapped up three rams during the sale and one more after to a top of $3300.
Kim Maddock of Mukinbudin also picked up three, to a top of $3500 for a 102.5kg ram with an EMD of 34, fat score of 7 and 20.5 micron fleece. Evan and Ruth even managed to sell an Afrino to a South African buyer, ironic considering the breed’s origin.
Dawid Leroux met the Maddocks at the Koorda show and is in WA working as a shearer. From the north cape of South Africa, Mr Leroux and his family have an Afrino stud - Kwaggasfontein, running 2,500 ewes.
Mr Leroux said during a bad drought back in South Africa, when Kwaggasfontein was running Merinos and Dohnes as well as Afrinos, he went out to take feed to the sheep. When only Merinos and Dohnes came in to feed, Mr Leroux assumed the Afrinos had perished.
However this was not the case, as not only had the Afrinos survived but they had also bred and weaned.
After the excitement of the Afrinos, the Poll Merinos were the next to go under the hammer, with 23 of the 28 offered selling during the sale to average $548.
The top price of $850 was paid by GR&L Bent of Mukinbudin and by DB&PL Bent, also of Mukinbudin.
The cap for GR&L top was paid for a 22.7 micron ram with a CF of 98.1pc.
Report and photos courtesy of Farm Weekly

Testimonials

“We produce 5000 prime lambs per year and two years ago my neighbour and I bought one Afrino ram from Madrino just to give them a try and see what results we would get.
I must say I was very happy with the ram’s performance. We put him in with 800 ewes for two weeks and got 400 lambs.
I then put him in with some dry ewes and he would have got 130pc lambing.
The earlier lambs had a very tough start to life, but some of the Afrinos were sent off in the first draft of lambs that went to the processors.
It was the later lambs from the dry ewes that really amazed me.
They bolted away. They had a bit better feed than the early ones and their growth rates were phenomenal.
They were dropped in mid-August and we drafted them off at the end of November and there was already lambs there that were around 50kg plus.
We will use that ram again in this year’s mating, and hopefully we have a normal season next year, which will give us an even better indication of how the Afrino performs in our area."

Dandaragan farmer Mick Fox

Important Dates

Afrinos will be on display at

2007 Newdegate Field Day
Wednesday, September 5 and Thursday, September 6

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