| 15 Generations of top notch breeding Mana 47/22 sold for $14,000. Two tooth rams (below). Karen Phelps RURAL PEOPLE » Mana Stud Mana Romney Stud in Masterton will offer more than 50 stud and top commercial rams at its annual on-farm spring ram sale on 17 November with buyers able to select from a line-up backed by strong performance data and generations of focused breeding. The sale will begin at 1.30pm at the stud’s Admiral Road property at Gladstone with rams selected for both phenotype and performance reflecting the breeding objectives that have guided the operation for many years. A standout offering this year is progeny from ram 994-19, a sire that has delivered exceptional results. “He’s been a stand out for reproduction and meat and carcass,” says Malcolm Wyeth, owner of Mana Romney Stud. “He’s been a bit of a freak in terms of how he’s bred. We breed for depth, thickness, carcass and reproduction and he has all this in his data set as well as in his conformation and phenotype. He also has strong facial eczema tolerance.” Ram 994-19 has a SIL index of 4500, placing him in the top 1 per cent of New Zealand genetics. Malcolm says his daughters are also performing strongly within the flock. Two rams sired by 994-19 will also have progeny represented in the sale. The upcoming sale also highlights the continued integration of the Brookfield Romney genetics following Mana Romney Stud’s acquisition of Ross and Damien Humphrey’s Brookfield Romneys Stud in 2024. The acquisition included 500 ewes and 125 ewe hoggets, bringing together two flocks with closely aligned breeding philosophies. Mana Stud had worked with Ross and Damien in the past, swapping genetics, and Malcom says this gave a good idea of how their flock would perform in his stud. His prediction has proved correct and the Brookfield flock has performed strongly alongside the existing Mana genetics. Early maturity and fast growth have been key features from introducing the genetics, increasing weaning weight breeding values and improving growth rates. After initially keeping the two flocks separate while he assessed their compatibility the decision has now been made to mate them as one flock. “It’s enabled the Brookfield clients to be comfortable with me combining the flocks,” Malcolm explains. “They can see both studs are similar and there is no real advantage in keeping them separate.” Mana Romney Stud continues to focus on traits that contribute to profitable and resilient sheep including facial eczema tolerance, skin thickness, fertility, growth and carcass performance. The stud has been testing for facial eczema tolerance for five years and now has genetics carrying five to 10 generations of tolerance history. Skin thickness has also been a major breeding focus with improvements of 0.5 mm achieved over the last seven years by using sires measuring 5mm of skin thickness over this period. The stud’s breeding programme uses SIL performance data alongside careful assessment of structure, feet and overall conformation. It targets ewes capable of consistently producing and raising quality lambs with fertility remaining a key priority. Mana Romney Stud’s operation includes the 158-hectare home farm at Gladstone and an 80-hectare unit at Mikimiki. The operation runs around 1500 Romney stud ewes alongside other breeds and commercial sheep. Romney and Romdale Rams selected for: On farm ram sale 17th Nov Tuesday 1.30pm • Growth • Fertility • Survival • Mothering Ability • Facial Eczema Tolerance • Meat Qualities All enquiries contact Malcolm Wyeth 027 252 7151 thewyeths@manastud.co.nz
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