Business Rural North Summer 2021

| 25 South Suffolks part of stud’s DNA George, Angus, Simon and Fergus Prouting. Poll Dorsets have high growth rates and are a well-muscled sheep. Russell Fredric R ocklea South Suffolk and Poll Dorset stud has roots going back almost 50 years and today is the largest South Suffolk sheep stud in New Zealand. The stud is part of the 664 hectare property of Simon and Fiona Prouting who have farmed at Ngapaeruru Road near Dannevirke since 2018. The couple moved to the North Island from South Canterbury in 2008 with their three young boys, Fergus, George, and Angus, initially farming 290ha freehold nearby at Mt Thomas, Weber, which was supported by a 490ha lease block. “We sold the Weber farm and finished the lease on the same day and moved into here. That’s how we grew to where we are now,” Simon says. Simon’s father, Joe, founded the stud at Shef- field, 40 minutes west of Christchurch in 1972 and moved to Waihrounga, South Canterbury for seven years with Simon and Fiona eventu- ally farming in partnership with him and Simon’s mother, Christene, for seven years. At Weber, Simon initially bred the South Suffolks with half the ewes from Rocklea from 2008, under a different name, High Plains, but took over the Rocklea name in 2016 when his parents retired. “It was a strong name within the South Suffolks so we just wanted to carry that through.” Like his father, Simon is attracted to South Suffolks by their marking for identifying terminal lambs, especially for hill country farmers, and the good growth rates they achieve. “They’ve got the very good shoulder on them for ease of lambing, moderate bone. “If sheep get too heavy in the bone you start to get lambing problems; good length through the loin – that gives you your growth – and really RURAL PEOPLE » Rocklea Stud good meaty hind quarters so you are getting your weight in your carcass. They’re a really well bal- anced sheep.” The farm’s 2500 Romney ewes and 600 hog- gets along with about 160 Angus cows are grown under commercial conditions and fully challenged. It is not uncommon for farmers to fully grow South Suffolks to achieve carcass weights around 23 kilograms. For others, they are a good option for buying as stores, both because of the easy identification and the growth rates, Simon says. The length of their back also enables the capa- bility for better growth than some breeds, along with good length of the loin. “They are high growth and high yield. There’s no point in having growth if you haven’t got yield; there’s no point in having yield if you haven’t got growth.” Poll Dorsets also have high growth rates as well as being a well-muscled sheep, provide an option for farmers who do not want the black marker. “They are awesome mothers and great milkers and they have got very, very good survivability.” All of Rocklea’s stud sires have been DNA foot- scored for the past 15 years which has produced significant gains with this trait, plus scoring for survivability was introduced two years ago. Simon also has developed his own system for scoring the feet for their shape. This has been ex- tremely valuable to identify sheep that could later develop abnormally shaped feet; all high scoring sheep are culled. Rocklea’s 14th annual on farm sale will be held on December 3 with about 110 South Suffolks and about 40 Poll Dorset’s being offered. Simon is New Zealand president of the South Suffolk Breeders club. “If sheep get too heavy in the bone you start to get lambing problems; good length through the loin – that gives you your growth.” It is not uncommon for farmers to fully grow South Suffolks to achieve carcass weights around 23 kilograms. Agricultural Cultivation | Hay | Baleage Barley & Feed Requirements Kevin Hermansen: 027 485 5755 O ce/Workshop: (06) 374 0736 Email: hermycontracting@xtra.co.nz Proud to support Rocklea Stud