About · Story
Thirty years of progress.
Trigger Vale didn't set out to breed a traditional Merino better. We set out to breed a different kind of Merino — one built for the way commercial producers actually get paid.
Four generations on Brookong country — a fifth on the way.
Andrew and Mandi Bouffler farm 2,800 hectares at Brookong, in the NSW south-west slopes — the fourth generation of the family on this country, with his son Jamieson the fifth. It’s a mixed operation: cropping and two stud sheep enterprises, run as one system.
- Farming since 1927
- 99yrs
- Merino stud since 1952
- 74yrs
- White Suffolk stud since 1998
- 28yrs
- Country farmed
- 2,800ha
- Long-term average rainfall
- 450mm
- Generations on the land
- 5
- Cropping
- 1,400ha
Two enterprises, one system.
Merino
2,500breeding ewes
The core of the business — a maternal Merino bred for meat, margin and easy care, without giving up the wool.
Established 1952
White Suffolk
450breeding ewes
The terminal that completes the system — growth and carcass for the prime lamb job, bred to the same data standard.
Established 1998
The road here.
Seven decades of breeding history, in four chapters — from the foundation flock to a data-rich, welfare-led modern program.
1952 – 1980
Foundations
Practical sheep, built for southern NSW.
1952
Trigger Vale established
The stud is founded in southern NSW — the start of more than seven decades of breeding history and a long-term commitment to commercially relevant genetics.
1952–1970s
The foundation years
Practical sheep bred for southern NSW conditions. In 1975 Jim Bouffler brought in the Optical Fibre Diameter Analyser (OFDA) to objectively measure micron, and began measuring testicle circumference to select for serving capacity.
1977
The first on-property sale
Trigger Vale holds its inaugural on-property auction — the start of an annual selling tradition that still runs today.
1980
Genetics head overseas
Rams are sold to Russia and Mongolia — the first of Trigger Vale's international sales.
1998 – 2009
Measuring what matters
Objective data becomes the engine of selection.
1998
White Suffolks join the program
The terminal line is introduced in 1998 and enters the auction sale in 2000, making Trigger Vale a two-breed business — maternal Poll Merino and terminal White Suffolk. Clients collect both breeds on one day and cut their biosecurity risk to a single supplier.
2000s
Objective measurement takes over
Selection pressure shifts onto the traits that drive client profit, measured through MERINOSELECT (from 1995) and LAMBPLAN (from 1998). More than 50,000 animals are recorded with full pedigree and over 800,000 individual data points.
2003
Semen to the Falkland Islands
The Falklands buy Trigger Vale semen, seeking carcase and maternal traits to lift performance and lamb survival in a harsh environment.
2004
Australia's first footrot evaluation
Trigger Vale enters a ram in AMSEA's first genetic evaluation for footrot and scald — at the coalface of breeding ASBVs for genetic disease resistance.
2005
Andrew Bouffler's Nuffield Scholarship
A defining point in the modern direction — Andrew's Nuffield Scholarship focuses on improving Australia's maternal ewe flock and rebuilding value across meat and wool.
2005–2008
A seat at Sheep Genetics
Andrew serves as an independent director on the Sheep Genetics Australia advisory committee — deep insight into the national evaluation system and lasting links with the country's top geneticists and researchers.
2006
A study tour that set the direction
Travel through South Africa, Chile, Argentina, the Falklands, Holland, the USA and Canada sharpens the customer-led approach — and the conviction that rising global demand for protein and red meat would shape the future.
Post-2006
The modern breeding brief
Focus locks onto multi-purpose, high-growth, highly fertile, polled, easy-care and mules-free sheep that produce both wool and meat in a resilient commercial system.
2008–ongoing
Scoring for welfare traits
From 2008, when the ASBVs were released, Trigger Vale scores and submits breech wrinkle and bareness data to Sheep Genetics — building breeding values for these welfare-relevant traits.
2009
Duchy College Leadership Course
Andrew completes the Duchy College Leadership Course in Devon, UK, adding to the leadership and global perspective behind the program.
2010 – 2019
Proof in the paddock
Trials, sales and clients put the genetics to the test.
2010
The first Information Day
With the old NSW Ag extension model gone, Trigger Vale hosts 120+ farmers at its first Information Day in August 2010. Over the next decade it brings 30+ leading researchers, analysts and consultants to southern NSW — evolving in 2022 into the 'Hour of Power' on sale inspection day.
2011
White Suffolks in demand from studs
Trigger Vale White Suffolk rams and semen are increasingly sought by other studs to lift their terminal sire programs.
2011–2013
Superwhites young sire evaluation
Rams are selected in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Superwhites teams, benchmarking the White Suffolk program nationally. Participation continues today, with Andrew now Chairman.
2012
Bred Well Fed Well
Trigger Vale hosts a Bred Well Fed Well event as part of its early pilot — helping clients connect breeding decisions with feeding, management and commercial outcomes.
2013
Ram 839 into the NZ Central Progeny Trial
With demand growing across the Tasman, Trigger Vale enters ram 110839 into the New Zealand Central Progeny Trial to test its genetics in a wetter, very different environment. The results are pleasing.
Investing in infrastructure
A new shearing shed, auction selling complex and improved amenities for shearers, staff and sale-day customers back the long-term commitment to the job.
Poll Merinos top $6,750
Growing market recognition for the Poll Merino program, with rams reaching a $6,750 top.
2014
First ram into AMSEA
Trigger Vale enters its first ram, TV 110511, into the North-East Victoria AMSEA trial to benchmark its genetics and strengthen industry linkage — a practice that continues.
Poll Merinos top $6,800
Trigger Vale Poll Merinos again sell strongly, topping at $6,800 and reinforcing demand for the breeding direction.
National Sheep Farmer of the Year
Andrew and Mandi Bouffler win the Coles-sponsored National Sheep Farmer of the Year Award in Melbourne.
2015
Link sire for the MLP Project
A Trigger Vale ram is selected as a link sire in the Merino Lifetime Productivity Project, with progeny at 3 of the 5 national sites — measured in the longest (10-year) and largest Merino evaluation ever run.
Rams sell to $11,500
A significant step up in demand, with Trigger Vale rams selling to a $11,500 top.
Client results build the story
Commercial lamb and ewe results in regional markets reinforce that the program's value shows up in client performance, not just sale prices.
2016
39th annual on-property sale
The 2016 sale — Trigger Vale's 39th — underscores a long-running, trusted annual buying platform for commercial and stud clients.
100% clearance
A full clearance: 135 Poll Merinos to $7,000 and 85 White Suffolks to $1,800, with buyers from NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
Balance in the top rams
The top-priced Poll Merino shows the balance Trigger Vale chases — growth, carcase, fertility and fat alongside the wool and structure expected in a commercial ram.
The case for genetic fat
Trigger Vale publicly argues for genetic fat in Merinos — backing resilience, reproduction and practical performance in modern maternal systems.
2017
First lambs in the USA
Semen from Trigger Vale rams produces the stud's first lambs in the United States, extending the genetic-reach story.
Information day with Dr Mark Ferguson
A White Suffolk information day with Dr Mark Ferguson continues the progressive, science-led approach.
2018
Commercial lambs keep performing
Trigger Vale-blood lambs feature strongly in commercial markets — proof the genetics deliver well beyond the sale ring.
2019
First MEQ and genomic trial
Trigger Vale runs its first on-farm MEQ trial, co-contributing with MLA's Fast Track program. Lambs are processed and meat sampled at JBS Bordertown; the trial is hosted by clients Ricky and Marni Luhrs at Cavendish, VIC.
Telling the genetic-trend story
Genetic trends, client outcomes and practical breeding information lay the groundwork for a more modern digital sale and client-support platform.
Rabobank Masterclass, Brazil
Andrew joins 50 leading farmers at the Rabobank Masterclass in Brazil — reinforcing the direction of high fertility, growth, meat yield and quality, backed by mules-free, high-welfare practices that unlock premiums.
2020 – 2026
The modern program
A data-rich, welfare-led, commercially sharp Merino.
2020
42nd sale clears 272/272
Every ram offered sells at the 42nd on-property sale — strong buyer confidence through a challenging market.
Averages hold across both breeds
A $10,200 top, with 192 Poll Merinos averaging $3,029 and 80 White Suffolks averaging $2,200 — clear demand for both sides of the program.
Individual WEC testing begins
Trigger Vale starts worm egg count sampling and testing of individual animals.
Online bidding comes of age
Strong AuctionsPlus activity makes the sale a genuine online as well as on-property event — driving the digital catalogue, ram videos and online buyer journey.
2021
Newsletters, catalogues and reports
Annual newsletters, sale reports and catalogues give clients what they need to plan ram selection and benchmark genetic progress.
2022
RWS accreditation
RWS and mules-free accreditation aligns Trigger Vale's welfare standards with wool-market premiums and changing social-licence expectations.
2023
A Sheep Sustainability Framework case study
MLA's Sheep Sustainability Framework case-studies Trigger Vale for its management, genetics and customer focus — recognising its approach to performance, welfare and sustainability.
One system, from breeding to containment
The modern system connects breeding direction with practical management — mules-free sheep, RWS, ground cover and containment feeding.
Backing the next generation
Trigger Vale sponsors the CSU Meat Judging Club, hosting the team on-farm and running an average 3–4 industry and student visits a year.
Second MEQ trial
A second MEQ trial with MLA and Ricky Luhrs — lambs processed and sampled at Fletcher International, Dubbo. Trigger Vale believes it is the only Merino stud in Australia measuring actual LEQ and shear-force carcase attributes, positioning clients for MSA returns (officially released at LambEx 2026).
2024
Clients sweep the AMPC Feedlot Carcase Competition
Ricki and Marni Luhrs' Trigger Vale-blood Merino wether team wins outright, ahead of Peter Hawkins' Barooka Trading team — which takes the highest MSA sheepmeat index and highest carcase-performing sections. Clothier Agriculture finish 7th of 32 teams with a 25% Trigger Vale-blood composite team, validating years of trial work on growth, meat yield and eating quality.
2025
A data-rich online sale
Catalogues, ram videos, wool photos and ASBV links through Sheep Genetics and AuctionsPlus make the 2025 sale data-rich and ready for a stronger digital experience.
Stud-record sale
A stud record — all 210 Poll Merino rams sold and 90 of 96 White Suffolks — reflecting strong stud and commercial demand.
Trigger Vale 667 makes $25,000
TV 240337 (667) sells for $25,000 to Kurra-Wirra Merino Stud in a syndicate, with semen shares to Ella Matta and Ejanding — a new benchmark for the Poll Merino program.
Elite, balanced data
TV 667 combines wool quality, structure and carcase data — top 5% for PWT, YWT, YEMD and Maternal Lamb Index, and top 10% for weaning rate.
What buyers are chasing
The sale reinforces where the market is moving — growth, fat, muscle, worm egg count, mules-free and plain-bodied welfare traits for more profitable, lower-labour systems.
98% clearance across 306 rams
AuctionsPlus reports a 98% clearance across 306 rams offered, with strong bidding and a $25,000 top.
2026
49th annual on-property auction
Trigger Vale holds its 49th annual on-property auction on Friday 4 September 2026, backed by AuctionsPlus, an inspection day, ram videos and an extensive online catalogue.
The current positioning
Trigger Vale is built around leading, relevant maternal Poll Merino and White Suffolk genetics — breeding for maximum genetic gain in profit-driving traits, welfare and social licence.
Semen and ram demand accelerates
More than 1,500 ewe doses sell across 4 states and 18 Merino studs, and 16 Poll Merino studs buy outright or in shares at the 2026 sale.