White Suffolks

NEW GENETICS FOR RAMSAY PARK & AROONA PARK

March 2013

Ramsay & Aroona Park recently took the oppurtunity to purchase 50 mated ewes and 2 stud sires from the disperingBu rwood & Tapton Studs. 

In an aim to enhance carcass confirmation in our studs, several ewes and the 2 stud sires purchased, contained the infusion of Ile de France genetics that had been used in the Burwood & Tapton Studs in recent years. 

Other ewes were purchased for their high genetic merit - with excellent ASBV's - while also having great carcass confirmation and outstanding visual qualities.

We look forward to the influence these purchases will have on our studs.

About us

The Ramsay Park White Suffolk Stud was formed in 1997.  Ewe numbers have increased over the years to currently mating approx 300 ewes.  Sires over the years have been purchased from Anna Villa, Bundara Downs, Detpa Grove, Illoura and Waratah Studs.  An AI programme has been run over several years using elite sires such as Pendarra 3050, 5630 & 5492, Bundara Downs 4398 and Farrer 74.

In 2009 Ramsay Park purchased a share in the Suffolk Ram Telparra 65/08 – Obama - to use for an outcross of genetics.  This sire contains a combination of West End Panache (UK) and The Brick (USA) genetics.  We have also had access to another Telparra sire containing the UK genetics and these sires have been mated to a cross section of our White Suffolk ewes and also to a large number of our Poll Dorset ewes to in introduce these genetics into our stud through the appendix flock.

At the recent Nalvin Park dispersal, 2 new sires were purchased.  Bundara Downs 6028 was purchased in partnership with the Langley Heights stud and Burwood 5074 (appendix) ,the highest ranked ram on the carcass + index across breeds (at the time of purchase) was bought by Ramsay Park.

In 2009 Ramsay Park became members of the Super White programme. This will enable us with the use of sires within the programme and recent sire purchases to have our stud above the breed averages for the main traits on Lambplan in the near future.

In 2011 the Aroona Park White Suffolk Stud was purchased and the sheep were relocated to our Minlaton property.  This purchase has shifted our focus to becoming full time seed stock producers.  We now have a ewe base of approx. 500 White Suffolk ewes and 120 Hampshire/Suffolk/Black Composite ewes.  The increased ewe numbers gives us a much larger genetic base to work with.

In the show arena Ramsay Park has been competing successfully against many of the top White Suffolk studs in Australia for several years.  The continued improvement in quality of the sheep has seen many ribbons awarded at shows such as the Royal Adelaide, Melbourne Royal and Hamilton Sheepvention.