Michael & Cathy Blake
Hamilton, VIC
610 mm
1039 Ha
15 – 17 micron Superfine Merino
Michael & Cathy Blake
Hamilton, VIC
610 mm
1039 Ha
15 – 17 micron Superfine Merino
For Michael and Cathy Blake, understanding the needs of the market and assuring product quality and sustainability have been life.
For Michael and Cathy Blake, understanding – long passions – reflected in the ‘Bally Glunin Park’ enterprise and Michael’s huge contribution to development of quality assurance standards, including SustainaWOOL.
Nestled at the foot of Mount Baimbridge in the iconic Western Districts of Victoria, ‘Bally Glunin Park’ is part of a Blake family tradition of farming dating back to the 1850’s.
‘Bally Glunin Park’ enjoys around 600 mm of winter dominant rainfall and a cool temperate climate, influenced by proximity to the Great Southern Ocean.
“We never stop looking for ways to ensure best practice and look after our sheep and the environment.”
‘Bally Glunin Park’ has benefitted from substantial investment in farm improvement over the decades, including:
- application of Keyline water management principles to maximise soil water retention and fertility, and minimise erosion
- extensive farm shelter belt establishment, and preservation of remnant vegetation
- extensive paddock subdivision and laneways, and pasture improvement.
‘Bally Glunin Park’ has benefitted from substantial investment in farm improvement over the decades, including:
- application of Keyline water management principles to maximise soil water retention and fertility, and minimise erosion
- extensive farm shelter belt establishment, and preservation of remnant vegetation
- extensive paddock subdivision and laneways, and pasture improvement.
“We’ve established a laneway and revegetation corridor network connecting 85% of our paddocks – in 5 years time, we’ll have 100% of the farm covered.”
Michael and Cathy were early to end their reliance on surgical mulesing, with the flock un-mulesed since 2006.
Pain relief has been provided for tail docking and castration operations since 2017, with the commercialisation of Buccalgesic.
Michael and Cathy were early to end their reliance on surgical mulesing, with the flock un-mulesed since 2006.
Pain relief has been provided for tail docking and castration operations since 2017, with the commercialisation of Buccalgesic.
For Michael and Cathy, attaining the highest standards of clip quality and production integrity has been a work of decades, and has involved close connection to wool buyers and processors.
The farm has been involved with SustainaWOOL from its inception in 2015, and attained GOLD status in 2020.
Michael was involved with the early development of CattleCare, Flockcare, the GO MARK Company and Safety MAP, in the late 1990s.
Bally Glunin Park currently operates under 10 separate Quality Assurance Schemes, and as part of their SustainaWOOL GOLD certification, is trialling electronic bale identification tags.
“To me, the use of electronic bale identification tags is essential, to allow all parties to track wool along the production line.”
“To me, the use of electronic bale identification tags is essential, to allow all parties to track wool along the production line.”