John and Tony Manchester with Patrick Gilmore, Tony’s grandson at their Kingsvale property.
The Manchester family are gearing up for their annual on farm sale on October 10 with father and son team, Tony and John Manchester and the family, looking forward to providing buyers with some excellent rams. In this year’s on property sale, 42 of the rams to be sold were ranked in the highest ten per cent for both muscle and fat, according to figures from Sheep Genetics Australia. Some of them were also in the top ten per cent for growth, which is an amazing achievement.
60 Poll Dorset rams and 30 Corriedales rams are on offer, as will be the famous Manchester lunch which allows those attending to taste what they buy. Tony said, “I have letters here from butcher’s shops telling me they are the best lambs they’ve ever had. I also gave some people a leg of lamb about a month ago to try and a few days later they texted me to tell me it was the best lamb they’d ever tasted.”
For over 25 years Tony has been working on providing the market with a high-performance ram that is high in fat, muscle and eating quality and those attributes are all found in his sheep. To provide clients with a high meat yield to make more money. Tony said, “The pleasing thing for me is that the feedback I’ve been getting from my clients is that our sheep have been topping the yards. We sold some new lambs at Yass and they topped the yards at $260. We brought our numbers back to 60 for this sale with the way the season is shaping up.”
Tony and John looked up the rain records and 1918 and 1919 have had very similar rainfalls to 2018 and 2019 around the area. Tony said, “The last 2 years has seen the lowest rain on record. We are probably lucky that we haven’t got the water issues others do, but let’s hope that things change for the better.” Sheep Genetics Australia recorded 106,000 records for the 2018 drop. Tony has 42 rams in the top 10 percent for muscle and fat. 60 rams are in the top 10% for their muscle and fat scores.
Tony said, “I have a birth average of .23 which is one of the lightest averages. High growth and yields follow. Some clients are selling lambs at 4 and 5 months old at around 50 kilograms.” The Corriedale clients come from a long way. Tony said, “We have a buyer from Dunedoo and one from Bendigo. We have the type of wool which is making money. One buyer has lowered his micron, increased his wool cut and he is getting more lambs. That is pleasing for me to get the feedback.”
Tony has been growing Corriedales for 56 years and the Dorsets for 24. He has learnt a lot over the years and just continues to apply that knowledge to his genetics. The farm continues to strive for efficiencies and technology. They have recently installed a new set of yards which allows the sheep to flow smoothly. John has been on the farm for 20 years and has ably assisted and helped manage the operation. He said, “There are always new ways to do things and save time.
There are challenges with farming that we need to continue to overcome.” The Manchester family is an integral part of the community. Their heart is in Kingsvale and Tony has organised a ‘meet new people day’ on October 20 so that young people who have moved to the district can meet the other locals. John has played for the Harden Red Devils for close to 20 years and has won 3 First Grade premierships in 2004, 2006 and 2018. He will be looking to have another season next year.
The Manchester family continues to support the club and often offers up a dressed lamb for raffle prizes for the Devils. The Manchester’s ancestors settled in the area over 100 years ago and it looks like they will continue to be an integral part of the community and a leader in the production of wool and fat lambs for years to come. They are at the top of their game.
The Kingsvale Supreme Rams 23rd Annual On Property Sale will take place on October 10 at the “Roseville” Shearing Shed, 1482 Back Creek Road, Kingsvale. It will see the sale of 60 poll dorsets as well as 30 of the best corriedale rams. 142 corriedale ewes will be sold on Auction Plus 8th of October. For more information call Tony Manchester on 0428 844 231; John Manchester on 0409 329 335 or Kingsvale Supremes (02) 6384 4231 or email them on tmanch@bigpond.com
