Dorset Downs at Craigneuk, in the Maniototo, being run at 1000 m above seal level. Photo / Supplied
Dorset Downs at Craigneuk, in the Maniototo, being run at 1000 m above seal level. Photo / Supplied
“You’ve got to be passionate to be a stud breeder.”
From a family heavily involved in stud breeding, Waitahuna West farmer Min Bain has maintained his passion for sheep, running both Dorset Down and Romney studs on the 330-ha property he farms with his wife Lisa.
“Being brought up with studs, I guess it’s in your blood,” he said.
When it came to Dorset Downs - Bain organised the recent national Dorset Down sheep tour which was hosted by the Otago-Southland district - it was the “amazing” people involved that he particularly enjoyed.
It was third time lucky for the tour which was previously postponed because of Covid-19.
There were 30 on the tour and 45 at the annual dinner in Gore. The event kicked off with the breed’s annual meeting in Dunedin, before visiting a wide range of Dorset Down studs in the region.
Visits included Dan and Trish Lyders’ Lakeside stud in Berwick, Johnny Duncan’s Craigneuk stud in the Maniototo, Donny Maclean’s Bellfield stud in Omakau, Fraser Fletcher’s Glendhu stud in Heriot, Bain’s Longridge stud and James Kenny’s Okaruru stud in Lawrence - the oldest stud in the flock book which he bought from Bob Masefield.
There were also visits to Ida Valley Station, where Dorset Downs were used as terminal sires and Earnscleugh Station.
Bain established his stud in the 1990s while living in Moa Flat. The Bain family was selling Romneys and Romdales and he thought it made sense to have a terminal sire stud and sell terminal sires at the same time.
His uncle Bill Bain had the well-known Wattlebank Dorset Down stud and he started with his genetics. The stud had grown from about six ewes to 260 to the ram this year. He also had about 600 stud Romney ewes, while about 500 top commercial Romney ewes were put to a Perendales each year to breed Romdales.
Waitahuna West was a good area to farm and he was “bloody frightened” by the amount of trees being planted in the wider area.
He believed there were places where there should be trees planted and places where they should not. And there was land going into trees that “no way” should be.
The amount of land being converted to forestry was frightening, not only to the sheep industry but the whole community and he believed the real impact would be seen in the next three to four years, as many farms had been sold to trees but the trees could not yet be sourced, and sheep from those properties had not yet come on the market.
The Dorset Down breed remained strong in New Zealand - there were about 52 studs - and the quality and standard of sheep seen on the tour was very impressive, Bain said.
Min Bain and his Dorset Down ewe lamb which he sold recently for $3000. Photo / Sally Rae
A highlight of the tour was an auction of six ewe lambs; each breeder visited on the tour was given the opportunity to put up a lamb and 25 per cent of the proceeds from each was given to the North Island cyclone recovery appeal.
The six lambs averaged $1491 and the top price was $3000 for a lamb sold by Bain to Alistar Busch from the Trackley stud in Hinds.
That lamb, which was ranked second in Bain’s flock on SIL, had an eye muscle area of 27.5sqcm when scanned on March 25 and weighed 49.4kg at weaning. He also bought two lambs in the auction to introduce some different blood.
Busch, a life member of the national breed organisation, also presented life membership to southern Dorset Down stalwart Bruce Robertson during the annual dinner in Gore.
Robertson was a huge supporter of the breed and had done a lot of work for the Otago-Southland club, including instigating the ram lamb trial. His wife Carolynn was also acknowledged for her support.
Bruce Robertson (centre) receives Dorset Down national life membership from Alistar Busch, watched by his wife Carolynn. Photo / Supplied
Bain said the ram lamb trial had been one of the club’s major initiatives, instigated about 14 or 15 years ago. Breeders supplied six to eight ram lambs at weaning and they were run at a different property each year.
On arrival, they were weighed and birth date and birth status - whether they were a single or a twin - was taken into account. They were weighed each month and eye muscle scanned at the start of March.
Maclean did the analysis and points were given for the likes of growth and eye muscle area, and an overall winner named.
The initiative brought breeders involved “up a couple of levels” and, as well as sharing genetics, it was also about the social side.
