48 | MEAT & WOOL » Egilshay Texels Handshake seals impromptu stud deal Photos: Egilshay Texel ewe (top left) with triplets. Group of mixed age Texel ewes with their lambs. Suftex ewes with their lambs (stabilised Suffolk-Texel cross breed . Ile de France ewes and lambs (new to NZ, first flocks registered in NZ 2017.) Russell Fredric Sealing an impromptu deal with friends through an old-fashioned handshake led Texel breeder Alistair McLeod to purchasing a farm near Ranfurly in Central Otago last year. Following a 13 year sabbatical from farming while living around Wanaka, Alistair and his wife Karen took over their 120 hectare farm in March last year, having bought it from friends and fellow Texel breeders Mac and Mary Wright, who moved to nearby Ranfurly township. During an impromptu conversation while walking together in Wanaka, Mac told Alistair they would be putting their property on the market. After Alistair expressed interest, the pair agreed on a price, shook hands on the spot, on the street and the deal was as good as done. “But it took me two days before I had the courage to tell Karen the news that we were probably buying and going back to farming,” Alistair says. The couple were both brought up on farms and farmed together in Winton and Riversdale, while in more recent decades Alistair worked for Dingleburn and Queensbury Stations. He describes the Ranfurly farm and its stud, Egilshay Texels, as a lifestyle property that allows him to pursue his passion for the breed. It supports 200 registered purebred Texel ewes, 190 Suftex ewes, 200 Texel ewe hoggets, 70 cattle and winters 100 ram hoggets, along with running a small Ile de France stud comprising about 35 ewes. Half of the farm is irrigated by a K-line system which guarantees summer grass growth. “We started with Texels in 1993 when we leased my parents’ farm at Winton. We took the stud through to Riversdale and ran up to about 350 Texel ewes.” During the past four lambings, Egilshay has introduced English genetics using sires from Jim “But it took me two days before I had the courage to tell Karen the news that we were probably buying and going back to farming.” Sharratt’s Karaka Stud, to improve their shape to bring it back to its true breed type. “It should give us a better yield from the New Zealand Texel which was losing hind quarter confirmation. I feel it was getting harder and harder to find a sire with a decent, heavy hind quarter, where the English Texel has easily brought that back.” “If you can get a heavier hind quarter, it’s more dollars and cents isn’t it. You get that for nothing.” Alistair was stoked to see a significant improvement in the lambs with English genetics in just one season, including better bone, improved skin colour and higher meat yield. Shearing and Crutching services Jay 027 4449158 or 034449165 stringer.shearing@xtra.co.nz Proud to support EgilshayTexels · Pick-up & delivery service · Open Saturday til 12 noon · Loan bikes available · PLUS we service other brands · For after hours enquiries, phone Dwain or Glen Dwain 027 220 6844 Glen 027 220 6834 EgilshayGenetics Hardy sires from a ‘no nonsense’ breeding programme, to provide more meat, vigour & fertility aimed at improving your flock’s production. TEXEL For the best results, buy PURE with con idence. Survivibility - Constitution Yield - Growth - Fertility Registered SIL breeder- accredited microphthalmia free SUFTEX For identifying colour. Meat - Yield - Early maturity EMA scanned - Get up and Go ILLE de FRANCE Buy PURE with con idence. Constitution - Yield Vigour - Fertility - Wool Registered SIL breeder All rams are Accredited Brucellosis Free. Enquiries/inspection welcome - Alistair & Karen McLeod egilshay@xtra.co.nz | 0274 545 686
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