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Tatura Poll Dorset stud wants rain to stop as hay and grain harvest approaches

By Alana Christensen

Oct 9, 2020

A Tatura Poll Dorset stud had mixed feelings about the recent rain, despite its sheep being in "fabulous" condition.

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Yentrac owner Rob McCartney, who was shearing 350 sheep on October 9, said the recent rains had made it "awkward" for shearing but had capped off what was a good season for feed.

“They're (the sheep) looking good,” he said.

“It's been a great year feed-wise so they are in a fabulous condition.

“The rain over the last week is really capping off the season but it has been a bit awkward for shearing as we had to have ewes shedded and penned up to avoid the rain.”

Despite the rain helping the condition of his livestock, Mr McCartney called for the rains to now stop so he could harvest successful hay and grain crops in the coming months.

“The season has been very good,” he said.

“The interesting part will be if from next week it stops raining so it can give us a go at the hay and grain harvest.

“There's an old saying - a good grass year is a bad hay year - and it's pretty true in a lot of cases.”

As Mr McCartney's sheep are sold for meat, he wasn't too concerned by the price of cross-bred wool that he was shearing, describing the price as "terrible".