44 | ‘The top pick without the pecking order’ Nithdale Genetics is an award winning stud and commercial operation on hill country near Gore. Russell Fredric Nithdale Genetics will be offering the cream of its rams at its on-farm sale on November 20. Manager Russell White says farmers will have the opportunity to bid in a Helmsman’s auction for the top 10% of the stud’s Romney, Romdale and Suftex rams. “The Helmsman auction helps the new clients looking for the top pick without the pecking order.” “This way everyone gets a fair crack at the very best ones. The best of the best will be put up on auction.” The Romdales are a more recent addition to the stud, with progeny from top Perendale sires bred for worm resistance put over Nithdale’s Romney ewes. “We’ve introduced Perendale genetics in the last three or four years and they’ve been really, really popular.” Nithdale Genetics is an award winning stud and commercial operation on hill country hear Gore, owned by Andrew and Heather Tripp. The quality of its sheep, based on the benchmarks Andrew has personally set and on the nProve (Stock Improvement Ltd) indexes, “is awesome”, Russell says. From 2012 to 2015 Nithdale was the winner of seven Beef + Lamb New Zealand Sheep Industry Awards in the dual purpose, parasite resistance and reproduction categories. It also won Terminal Cross Section at the 2016 Beef + Lamb NZ Golden Lamb Awards and in 2017 was the dual purpose and resistance to internal parasites award finalist. At this year’s Gore A & P show one of Nithdale’s Romney’s was placed first in the commercial rams category. “It was the first time we’ve put a ram in the Gore A & P show for a long time. He was a cracking Texel/Romney ram. I think it shows the type of sheep we’re breeding now compared to the past where we can match the phenotype with the [SIL-ACE] New Zealand maternal worth index.” “We’ve always been at the top of the table for the New Zealand maternal worth, but that also brought with it a difference in type, but now the sheep are very much aligned.” “They [Romneys] are starting to line up as a really good mob together; we’re refining that phenotype.” One of Nithdale’s Suftex terminal rams which was bought in as a stud sire was second-placed in the Ram Over 18 Months category at the same show. “The best thing for the Suftex’s is we’ve really filled out that back end. The meat and fat cover that we can put on these rams now are next to none.” The genetic trends data for maternal worth, WormFEC, dags, and meat and wool for its purebred Romneys and its 81% Romney/19% Texels respectively show them to be $12 to $13 dollars MEAT & WOOL » Nithdale Genetics ahead of the industry average in 2025. “Our goal is to breed a low cost maternal sheep that can handle a tough environment and maximise output of quality meat and wool.” Nithdale’s pure Romney flock is one of 14 in New Zealand which qualifies for the WormFEC Gold Group. SIL data shows that while Nithdale’s Romney’s have been gaining in parasite resistance, the industry average for this trait has been getting worse. “We’re getting a lot more interest from new clients based around the realisation of drench resistance in New Zealand. Our sheep have been leading the way for a long time. There’s a whole mind shift change with sheep – you can’t just keep drenching them with the same and expect the same results. We’ve already got that base of highly worm resistant sheep.” Like any breeder, Russell is never completely satisfied and is always aiming higher, but Nithdale’s stud rams and commercial flocks are impressive and “very much trending in the right direction”, he says. Nick Wilson Contracting Ltd. Contact Nick Wilson 027 496 2350 For all your baling sowing cultivation and earthmoving needs
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