There could be few more enthusiastic about the future of sheep than Elliot Bangert.

The 20-year-old is keen to make the most of any opportunities he can in his pursuit to follow a career in agriculture and alongside that, his burgeoning Poll Dorset stud, Mizpah, registered in 2022 as flock number 4663.

Elliot grew up on a small farm in Borenore, near Orange, NSW, and almost fell into sheep breeding when he bought some commercial Poll Dorset ewes.

“I was interested in genetics and wanted to know more about sheep and that progressed into buying Poll Dorsets with pedigrees and it grew from there,” Elliot said.

He runs his small flock on his parent’s small property, and ever the optimist, Elliot said this was acting to his advantage in developing his stud.

“It makes you focus on quality, because we can only run a set number of ewes, it means they have to be good to stay and there is always pressure on them,” Elliot said.

While he started his stud when he was at school, and was able to have a heavy involvement while working locally on a sheep property for two years, his plans faced a crossroad earlier this year when he began studying a Bachelor of Rural Science at the University of New England at Armidale, many hours drive from his home base.

Yet in the end, the choice to continue his stud was easy, he said.

“I have received so much support from Poll Dorset breeders in terms of genetics and advice and they gave that commitment to me, so I did not want to throw all that away,” Elliot said.

It also aligns with his goal of working in the sheep industry in some capacity after he completes his study.

Elliot sees a strong future for Poll Dorsets, and said there was good reason they were the most popular terminal sire in Australia.

“It may have been by chance that I got into them but I see the breed playing a strong role in the prime lamb industry going forward,” he said.

His gap years, which involved time working in a sheep feedlot, has also given him exposure to a range of breeds, and he’s been impressed by the way Poll Dorsets have performed compared to other breeds both being fed intensively but also in the paddock.

He is also excited about the Australian prime lamb industry and the opportunities still to be grasped.

“The future of the Australian lamb industry is bright, with so many largely untapped markets globally like the United States who are yet to experience our lamb,”

Elliot said.

And if prices stay strong, he sees more farmers considering including prime lambs in their enterprise mix.

But Poll Dorsets need to not lose sight of what they are good at – growth rates and muscle – but at the same time, being able to embrace eating quality.

Elliot’s flock is bred for strong Australian Sheep Breeding Values, but he never loses his emphasis on physical correctness and raw data.

He was able to use those skills when he took the chance to be the associate judge at the NSW Dorset Championships at Cowra in June.

It was his first time judging.

“You have to start somewhere and it was an honour to be an associate judge at one of the biggest Poll Dorset events,” Elliot said.

“When you get to know the process of judging, you can take back those skills and use them within your own flock.

“Everyone wants to breed perfect sheep, half the challenge is working out what that perfect sheep looks like and the other half is trying to achieve it.”