Roseville Park Merino Stud invests in automated sheep feeding system

Roseville Park Merino Stud has invested up to $450,000 in an automated containment and feeding system to address seasonal feed bottlenecks. Located at Wambangalang, south of Dubbo, the seven-pen hybrid system is designed to manage approximately 3,000 sheep.

Principals Matthew and Cherie Coddington noted that autumn has become a critical pressure point in their production calendar due to drier conditions and the simultaneous need to feed ewes approaching lambing, finishing lambs, and various young lambs. The system includes capacity for 1,200 sheep in containment pens and another 1,800 on automated ad-lib feeding.

Construction began in mid-July. The setup aims to protect groundcover and manage feed more effectively during periods when parts of the property are dedicated to cropping programs. Recent rainfall may allow the stud more time to fine-tune the development before the system is fully utilized.