OUR STOCK

We purchased Valley Coopworths in 2010.

Since taking over we have focused on growth and meat and maintaining reproduction at a 200% + scanning, which seems to have cemented at this level. We annually eye muscle scan, and have also done some CT scanning at Lincoln university as well as footroot gene marker on sire rams.

We used some Embryo transfer as a tool to speed up genetic gain. And are on SIL, focusing on breeding a dual purpose ram.

The five key traits for us being, Reproduction, Growth, Meat, Wool and Survival.

Ross Seymour founder of Valley Coopworths in 1970, farmed in Tinui on a typical eastern hill country farm, although carrying capacity had been greatly increased,  the per head animal production had not changed to any great extent. So in the mid sixties, after going to a lecture at Massey university on genetics Ross decided to improve the performance of the breeding flock  by crossbreeding. He could see the British farmers doing so much better with there genetics.

His Romney flock had a lambing %under 100, so in 1963 the ewes were mated with Border Leicester rams for the first time, this increased the lambing by 30% and also produced lambs that could be sent to processers rather than sold store.

At a similar time there was an emerging group of farmers led by Sir William Dunlop and aided by Lincoln college who decided the answer was to interbreed the border cross sheep using strict selection based on performance. This resulted in the formation of interbred ram breeding flocks and the “Coopworth” breed of sheep.

Tirohunga followed this policy and  established a Coopworth flock, and became registered in 1970. The flock continued to maintain a high level of production and give very satisfactory financial returns. Ross became a founder and chairman of the Coopworth society and was in close contact with Lincoln genetics through all this development phase of the Coopworth breed.

By the late 70's Ross had 850 registered ewes. In the 80,s the stud was wound down to 40-50 ewes due to Ross moving to town and pending his son John moving to the farm, there was a few managers in this time.

In 1992 the flock transferred hands to John Seymour and a new stage of its development proceeded using technology and new techniques, like AI to obtain the use of high ranking progeny tested sires selected from the national flock . John screened top performing ewes out of his own commercial flock and built up numbers of the flock to 300 registered ewes, at this stage they were weaning 180-190%, with an average weaning weight of 30kg. Valley Coopworth produced the highest ranking ram in the NZOSR in 1999. Semen from  this ram was exported to Australia.

It all started in 2009 when we put Coopworth Rams over our 5600 WRIG Romney commercial ewes. We then selected 700 in lamb, twin reared hoggets at a minimum weight of 43kg at the 1st of May.

The following year the selection then went onto 2tooths in lamb with twins, and having a condition score of three or over at the end of the winter rotation. They were also tipped over at this stage ensuring feet and structural soundness were of the quality required.

We also culled on aesthetical qualities, aiming for a deep barrel, short neck, straight topline, with no medulated fiber on skin around anus in a V shape (dag preventative).

These ewes then went on to scan %187 with %7 triplet , %15 single, %2 dry. We set stocked at 6.1pha on grade VI & VII class of land. We had a record docking of %155 and our average weaning weight was 30.5kg.

We repeated this process with the next age group to give us the numbers to gain genetic merit. These ewes have now gone through multiple dry summers and tough winters, with two autumn droughts and proven themselves worthy in condition and performance.

The result has been so consistant we are stabilising our commercial ewes with the Romworth.

For the 2015 mating we put 700 recorded Coopworth ewes selected on reproduction and survival to high growth rate/meat Romney rams. 

Grassendale Genetics purchased a Beltex Sire ram and a Suffolk Beltex cross  in 2017 at the South Island Sale.

This was the first Sale of Beltex in NZ, having only just come over from the UK. Watch this YouTube clip to learn about the Beltex.

We have crossed the Beltex and Suffolk/Beltex with our Suftex ewes, who are sharefarmed in Wainuioru.

Our Suftex flock was established in 1990 by Gordon Mackie in the Hawkes Bay who was wanting to produce high yield growth rate rams, focusing on the off mum slaughter date. He managed to purchase the first Texel Suffolk cross out of quarantine in New Zealand. He then purchased the Suffolk dispersal flock from Intercontinex and crossed these two. They scanned %165-170. The selection of rams was anything over 40kg at 85-90 days.

2020 sees our second Beltex ram auction on October 22nd.

Heres an example below, of the value-add in the Beltex cross.

The 4 lambs weighed 179.5 kg 2hours before going on the truck to the works, and were killed about 24 hours after that.

They weighed 179.5 kg, and as the carcass weights were 29.1 + 22.7 + 27.2 + 23.5  = 102.5, making a killing out 57.1
 

The 4 lambs weighed 179.5 kg 2hours before going on the truck to the works, and were killed about 24 hours after that.

They weighed 179.5 kg, and as the carcass weights were 29.1 + 22.7 + 27.2 + 23.5 = 102.5, making a killing out % 57.1.

George and Guy have spent a fair bit of time over that last few years looking in North and South island to find a hair breed sheep that would work on Grassendale. It was triggered by the total frustration in the wool industry and clients asking George about the hair breed sheep.

In 2024 700 streaker ewes were in there third season on Grassendale, they lambed 490 that year, that’s a 30% cull rate. We feel we have made pretty rapid progress around structural soundness. There has been no drenching of these at all since they have been on farm.

We like the type of the Aussie white but had concerns around the climatic issues running them out here and possible feet and constitution issues, so came to the conclusion that it wasn’t one breed that was going to suit Grassendale best. Hence a trip to Australia to thoroughly investigate and critique the Australian white sheep further. Ironically this led us to Andrew Rayner (Skippy) who had previously worked in Omarama and was the contact through Guy.

We went through all the ewes and rams, to select on Type. Rams were chosen for a Semen draw and select Ewes to be Embryo transfer donors. All the possible Rams and Ewes we wanted to use were blood tested, that information was sent to Lincoln University to be analysed in relation to the foot rot marker. (The foot rot gene marker is a blood test John Hickford created).

Anything that was a 1/1 response which is deemed least pathway to have these feet issues was chosen for our procedure. 10 rams and 72 ewes were selected. We then purchased 400 straws of semen and 72 embryos and imported them home here to NZ in 2024 Thanks to Anyika Scotland from Vet Services Hawkes Bay, we put the embryos into Grassendale recipient ewes and used the Semen to implant via AI 250 of our elite Streaker ewes here at Grassendale. The rest of our Streakers on Grassendale were naturally mated to an Aussie White/Wiltshire cross rams.

We aim to benchmark these a little differently to the mainstream breeds, on a Productive trait - Growth, Meat, Survival, Intramuscular fat, Scanning and Methane. This will be in conjunction with Zoetis and SIL and of course most importantly for us the structural traits, type feet etc, and thirdly the eating quality. Over time and in doing our job properly, we can remove the undesirable traits... Exciting challenge ahead.

The theory of an animal putting its energy into growth of protein rather than wool was clearly visible. We are really excited about our Streakers and how they are developing. A pleasing result was when we culled streaker ram lambs out of Hoggets and they did 24. 43kg carcass weight .