Trigger Vale

Newsletter 2026

More Lamb. Less Work.

The year ahead in sheep · Merinos. Simplified. · Client results · The 2025 sale · Open Day & sale details

Open Day
26Wednesday 26 AugustOn-property · 10:00am – 4:00pm
Ram Sale
04Friday 4 SeptemberOn-property · Interfaced with AuctionsPlus
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01From the principal

Progress beats tradition. This year proves it.

Recording data in the Trigger Vale sheep yards

Progress beats tradition. Sheep have changed — the industry hasn't caught up. Running sheep should be simple, profitable and scalable.That's what we breed for.

Thirty years ago we made a decision that put us out of step with the industry: breed the Merino for premium meat, not the wool-only genetics tradition called for. Measure everything. Publish the data. Stay mules-free. Chase what actually drives profit — kilograms of lamb per hectare, lower inputs, high resilience, fast turn-off and the big lamb chop consumers are asking for — while keeping fleece value per hectare profitable.

For a long time that made us the outliers. Now it makes us the answer. Labour is the biggest constraint on sheep enterprises today, and the meat market is rewarding exactly the animal we've spent three decades building.

You'll notice we look different this year. The new brand better represents the progress and innovation behind the program, and where we're heading over the next ten years — continuing to lead industry, with a focus on breeding to solve the problems our clients are dealing with.

The program takes its next step too. Fred Echaniz has joined us as Stud Manager and will be taking more responsibility with the running of the sheep operation day to day. Our son Jamieson is returning to the business full time in 2027 in a general operational role.

These changes will allow me to move into a more client-focused role — sheep classing, setting breeding objectives, and designing genetic programs that fit your environment and your target markets. More time in your program, not just ours.

We've also made a change to the offering. Managing price is a priority this year, so we've increased the Merino auction to 240 rams, with 200 grade Merinos alongside them to support larger orders. More rams through the ring means a steadier market — and if you're buying in numbers, there's depth behind the auction to fill the order.

The White Suffolks follow the same standard, with 96 auction rams and 70 grades on offer.

Every ram we sell carries 5-star data quality, a full set of ASBVs and an independent visual assessment.

The rams are ready and the markets are ready. Come and see them for yourself — our team will be on the ground all day at the Open Day on 26 August, and I'd be glad to walk you through the data and talk about what fits your program.

Andrew Bouffler

Stud Principal · Trigger Vale

Vision
Simplify Merino farming and unlock their potential as premium meat sheep.
Mission
Deliver genetics that thrive, reduce workload, and drive high-value lamb — while keeping wool profitable.
Read the full vision and mission
02Sheep outlook

LambEx takeaways — and the outlook we see.

Three things we took from LambEx 2026 — and where we think the industry is heading.

  • Eating quality matters

    For the first time in 15 years, Australians are eating more meat — 24% plan to increase red meat consumption. Those cutting back blame price, but they're happy to pay; they just don't want to be disappointed.

    — Sarah Strachan, MLA, LambEx 2026

  • MSA is coming to sheepmeat

    A quality-assured program that predicts eating quality — every cut scored, indexed to one number per carcase. The future feedback system reports four things: MSA index, IMF, lean meat yield and hot carcase weight.

    — David Packer, MLA, LambEx 2026

  • The technology is here

    IMF and fat-depth measurement is in processor trials now — adoption is high. The direction is locked in: from dentition, weight and breed to carcase weight + measured quality. Genetics take years. Start now.

Fred Echaniz, Prof. Andrew Thompson, Andrew Bouffler, Jason Trompf
Fred Echaniz, Prof. Andrew Thompson, Andrew Bouffler, Jason Trompf
Thanks, Thommo

Professor Andrew Thompson retires after a career that shaped how this country breeds sheep.

A highlight of LambEx for me was catching up with long-term friend and sheep research guru Professor Andrew Thompson, recently retired from Murdoch University in WA. I had the privilege of sitting next to Thommo at the gala dinner when he received his lifetime achievement award for his contribution to sheep research in this country.

Thommo's work — and his knack for turning detailed research into game-changing on-farm practice — has had a massive impact on our enterprise and our breeding direction. His impact on the broader industry is just as big. I'd suggest there isn't a sheep enterprise in the country not benefiting from his life's work today.

Thanks Thommo, for all the work and for the friendship. All the best for your health and plenty of family time in retirement.

The outlook we see

The future of sheep farming

Sheep farming has to become more labour efficient, more scalable and more resilient. The businesses that don't rely on highly skilled labour, heavy feeding programs and high inputs are the ones that will attract the next generation. Easy to scale, easy to execute — that's why people choose an enterprise, not profit alone.

The opportunity

Meat prices are strong. Mules-free is paying. Quality is about to be measured and paid for. And everyone's short on labour. The right Merino and terminal answers all of it — premium meat, profitable wool, low inputs, low workload, five income streams. Not every Merino. The right one.

One good year is luck. Can you repeat it? That's what we breed for.

03Merinos. Simplified.

Less work. Lower cost. More lamb. Here's how it's bred in.

Condition score is the trait behind the rest — the reserve a ewe draws on when the season turns. Here's ten years of it, against the breed.

Condition score: the resilience trait

#1 in Australia for condition score.

Nobody breeds a more resilient Merino.

CS is the fuel tank. Dry seasons, stocking rate and pregnancy all draw it down — it's the reserve she lays down and draws on to keep performing when conditions tighten. That's what drives scanning, lamb survival, weaning weight and wool cut. Under pressure, condition can outweigh genetics — a ewe with average YCFW in good CS can out-cut a ewe with high YCFW genetics in poor CS.

You can feed condition on, or you can select for it. Select for it and you get the performance without the feed bill, the labour and the hassle. Performance without the workload and cost.

Independently ranked.

MerinoTV Flock Av. Top 10%
0.30 higher — more condition
CS score ASBV0.030.150.270.390.5120162025
Trigger Vale Breed average

Above the measured industry average

+0.5CS
Trigger Vale flock
+0.5CS
2026 auction rams
+0.6CS
Our sires

What resilience buys you

  • More performance

    better wool cut, scanning, survival and finishing under pressure (dry, stocking rate)

  • Less feeding

    holds condition on low quality feed, in dry conditions or at high stocking rates

  • Less labour

    fewer hands, less time, less skilled labour to find

  • Less cost

    less grain, less cartage, less reliance on infrastructure

Feed it, or breed it.

$40 – 60/ewe

Every +0.5 of condition score is worth $40–60 revenue per ewe — about 20% more lambs.

Two ways to get it. Feed it — hold that half score with grain, $10–20/ewe, every year, forever. Or breed it — put it in the genetics once and carry it for free.

And the same story on inputs.

Built to thrive under pressure — the gap from the breed average widens every year. That's compounding genetic gain.

Merino
11.3% lower — fewer worms
PWEC % 5–10 months ASBV-36.7-27.6-18.5-9.4-0.420162025
Trigger Vale Breed average

Worms. Lower burden — fewer drenches, less mustering, faster turn-off.

Merino
0.27 lower — less dag
LDAG score ASBV-0.51-0.38-0.25-0.120.0120162025
Trigger Vale Breed average

Dag. Less crutching, less hassle, less flies, less labour — saving up to $20/hd.

Merino
0.6 lower — plainer
EBWR score ASBV-1.1-0.8-0.6-0.3-0.120162025
Trigger Vale Breed average

Breech wrinkle. Plainer sheep, no mulesing. Less cost, better welfare.

See every trait, year by year

Bred for the market that pays

Premium lamb. Produced profitably.

04Bred for the market that pays

More lamb. Less work.

The target is a lamb that hits exactly what the high-end consumer is demanding — produced against the profit drivers that actually matter on farm.

  1. 01

    Easy to run.

    Less workload. Less cost. Less hassle.

  2. 02

    More markets. Less risk.

    Market-aligned. Competitive. Future-ready.

  3. 03

    No surprises.

    The ram on paper is the ram in your paddock.

Growth is the profit driver

Growth is where your money is made. Faster turn-off means fewer days on feed, fewer days in the paddock, and stock gone before the season turns. Every +50g/day you breed into the genetics is worth $10–15/hd in the feedlot — every lamb, every year, compounding.

#1Australia's #1 Merino ram team for growth.
MerinoTV Flock Av. Top 10%
3.7kg higher — heavier
PWT kg 5–10 months ASBV2.64.76.78.710.720162025
Trigger Vale Breed average
White SuffolkTV Flock Av. Top 30%
2.8kg higher — heavier
PWT kg ~225 days ASBV11.012.914.816.718.620162025
Trigger Vale Terminal average

+0.28WS BWT av. — top 50%

Our terminals chase fast early growth without lifting birth weight — held at breed av. so lambing stays easy, especially for first-time Merino lambers. We weigh every lamb born, because DNA alone isn't accurate enough.

Muscle does two jobs

High eye muscle gives you early growth without the ewe getting bigger — and ewe weight sets your stocking rate and feed bill. It's also the highest value meat on the carcase: premium markets want a bigger eye muscle, and our growth–carcase balance lets lambs hit heavy export weights and still make those markets. The largest group of high eye-muscle Merino auction rams in Australia.

Merino
1.8mm higher — more muscle
YEMD mm 10–15 months ASBV0.10.81.52.33.020162025
Trigger Vale Breed average

Eating quality is the future

IMF and shear force are the two traits driving eating quality — both heading the right way, every year for ten years. On SHEAR5 our flock av. sits top 40% for Merinos and top 30% for White Suffolks. Tenderness has no ceiling; IMF probably does. We keep pushing both — without giving up CWT and eye muscle.

MerinoTV Flock Av. Top 40%
0.22% higher — more marbling
IMF % ASBV-0.57-0.45-0.33-0.20-0.0820162025
Trigger Vale Breed average
White SuffolkTV Flock Av. Top 20%
0.31% higher — more marbling
IMF % ASBV-0.52-0.39-0.26-0.130.0020162025
Trigger Vale Terminal average
All Merino trait dataAll White Suffolk trait dataWhy it pays
05Client results · 2026

The proof isn't ours. It's our clients'.

Daniel White & Jamie Wright, 'Springfield'

We turned Merino lambs off at 7.5 months averaging 28kg cwt over the hook — weights we used to struggle to hit at 12 to 13 months.

We've been transitioning to Trigger Vale bloodlines for a few years, selecting rams on growth, muscle and fat. The result: wether lambs off at 7.5 months averaging 28kg CWT. The tops cut a $30 jacket of lamb's wool, then made upwards of $350 on the hook plus skin — around $390/hd gross. Turning off that early gives us real optionality: trading stock, running more ewes.

Early maturity flows through to fertility — 40% of weaned ewe lambs now conceive at 8 months, up from under 10% two years ago, and improving as the bloodlines compound. Low-wrinkle, bare-breech traits came as part of the package. We've ceased mulesing — and despite wet summers, no significant increase in dag or flystrike.

Daniel White & Jamie Wright

manager & owner · 'Springfield'

  • Grenfell, NSW
  • 620mm av. rainfall
  • 8,000 Merino ewes
  • 3,000 to W. Suffolk
at 7.5 months — previously 12–13mths
28kg cwtat 7.5 months — previously 12–13mths
gross — hook + skin + $30 wool
~$390/hdgross — hook + skin + $30 wool
Robert & Graeme Harris, 'Spring Vale'

An impressive 92% achieved the GLQ bonus lean meat yield — a testament to the quality of Trigger Vale's breeding program.

After three years of purchasing Trigger Vale genetics with a focus on refining wool quality and producing saleable lambs, we're thrilled to report exceptional results from our first consignment to Gundagai Meat Processors. Of the lambs we sent, an impressive 92% achieved GLQ bonus lean meat yield — a testament to the quality of Trigger Vale's breeding program. The new genetics we've introduced into our flock have not only delivered improved wool characteristics but also consistently produced the kind of carcase outcomes that processors reward. We're looking forward to building on this success in the years ahead.

Robert & Graeme Harris

'Spring Vale'

  • Coolac, NSW
  • 2,500 Merino ewes
  • 650mm av. rainfall
avg cwt
26kgavg cwt
avg IMF
5.7%avg IMF
avg lean meat yield
63.5%avg lean meat yield
earned GLQ bonus
92%earned GLQ bonus
avg GLQ bonus
73c/kg cwtavg GLQ bonus
More client results and trial data

Advice from the stud

Two things that'll do the most for your bottom line.

Clients ask me this all the time. Here's my answer. — Andrew

  1. 01

    Pregnancy test for multiples

    scan, split, feed accordingly. Simplest lift there is.

  2. 02

    Run a Flock Profile

    genotype 20 random lambs and find out where your genetics actually sit.

A Flock Profile ranks your flock against MERINOSELECT flocks nationally, trait by trait — 10th band for Greasy Fleece Weight means top 10% in the country. Strengths and weaknesses in black and white, and direction for your ram buying.

The real test — it tells you whether your ram supplier is actually breeding what you need. Every stud will say growth and carcase is their objective. Profile their progeny and I reckon 75% would get a surprise. The DNA tells the real story.

How to do it — ring Andrew or Fred and we'll walk you through it, or find a provider at sheepgenetics.org.au/resources/genomics

06The 2025 sale

Demand for the genetics, measured.

210
Poll Merino rams —topped $25,000 · averaged $3,300
96
White Suffolks —topped $3,200 · averaged $1,600

The Poll Merino average looks high — but Table 1 shows it's inflated by stud activity, which lifts the commercial average. 17 other Merino studs operated and purchased rams at the auction, with 7 rams making over $10,000.

Talking to commercial clients after the sale, the consistent comment was that the first 30 lots were very strong and hard to compete in — but once stud demand dropped off, they were very happy with the value for quality they could buy their team of rams for.

Trigger Vale has always targeted breeding big drafts of commercially relevant, profitable rams — we don't chase stud sales. But 17 ram breeders buying at last year's sale, and a further 23 studs purchasing semen directly for their breeding programs, is a huge endorsement of our breeding direction.

To make sure we stay price-competitive for commercial clients, we joined 200 more stud ewes in 2025 — lotting a further 30 rams for the 2026 auction.

Table 1 — 2025 Poll Merino auction by price range
$1,400 – $2,00047
$2,001 – $2,50038
$2,501 – $3,00060
$3,001 – $4,00030
$4,001 – $10,00028
Over $10,0007stud orders
Grades · $1,50045topping up sale orders
Ringside at Brookong — clients at the 2025 on-farm auction.
Ringside at Brookong — clients at the 2025 on-farm auction.
See previous sale results
07Staff news

Staff news.

  • A proud day for the Trigger Vale family — congratulations to Fred, Fabi and young Simon, officially Australian citizens.

  • Tom Wiech — is taking a greater responsibility across the cropping operation, while supporting key stud operations and events. Congratulations to Tom & Ellie who are expecting their first child in Jan '27.

  • Jamo — our son Jamieson is joining the business full time in 2027. We're excited about the youth and enthusiasm he'll bring to keep driving the business to innovate and grow.

Meet the whole team
Jokes

  • I told my daughter I saw a deer on the way to work this morning.

    “How did you know the deer was on the way to work?!”

  • Did you hear about the guy who invented the knock-knock joke?

    He won a “No-Bell” Prize.

  • What runs around the yard without actually moving?

    A fence.

  • How does a hamburger introduce his girlfriend?

    “Meet Patty.”

  • My wife always complains I never buy her flowers.

    To be honest, I didn't know she sold flowers.

08See them for yourself

Three dates. One direction.

Everything below lives on the site in full — dates, catalogues, buyer terms and the people to ring.

26

Aug · Wed

Open Day

10:00am – 4:00pm · On-property

Inspect all 240 auction Merino rams before sale day. Printed catalogues available · Andrew & Fred on the ground · shortlist rams to make sale day easier.

Hour of Power

1:00pm
Jason Trompf, Lambs Alive — the latest research in joining ewe lambs
1:30pm
Nick Linden, VIC DPI — maximising returns on lamb performance
Open Day details

01

Sep · Tue

SWS Field Day

Harden Showgrounds

Southwest Slopes Field Day, Harden Showgrounds — Lots 1–12 auction rams on display, then sold at the on-property auction on 4 September. Come talk direction and what fits your program.

Field Day details

04

Sep · Fri

Ram Sale

On-property · Interfaced with AuctionsPlus

Catalogues — online and emailed before Open Day, full ASBVs. Videos and wool photos on AuctionsPlus. Hard copies on sale day.

On the day

8:30am
Inspection opens
12:30pm
Poll Merino auction — 240 rams
3:00pm
White Suffolk auction — 96 rams
Sale details, terms & contacts

Rams thrive, or they're replaced.

Switching studs feels like a risk. So we removed it. Buy on the data, and talk it through with us before you commit.

See the saleTalk to Andrew

Progress beats tradition

More Lamb. Less Work.

See the rams at the Open Day on Wednesday 26 August, or come to the on-property sale on Friday 4 September.

Register for Open DayDownload this issue