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Property Name: "Marapana"

Location: 20 kilometres east of Wellington in the central west of NSW, Australia.

History

Mumblebone is a family operation and proud to be recognised as a progressive & innovative stud offering early maturing, heavy cutting SRS® Merinos that are highly fertile and do not need to be mulesed.

George & Kerry Taylor were instrumental in the purchase of this well renowned merino stud in 1996 from the Rutledge family, Warren. The sheep were then moved to our properties at Wellington where the breeding emphasis changed from a traditional breeding system to the SRS® breeding system.

George & Kerry’s son Chad is now the stud’s driving force. Under the direction of Chad, his wife Louise and family, the sheep have moved away from their traditional past to an advanced state of highly productive, plain bodied SRS® breeding ewes & rams.

People

Mumblebone is a family operation run by George & Kerry Taylor, their son Chad, his wife Louise and three children, Harriet, Arthur and Ruston. A strong interest in Merinos, spanning four generations in the Wellington district, was the catalyst to start breeding rams in the late 80’s. The opportunity to buy the iconic Mumblebone Merino Stud in 1996 was a rare and valuable opportunity to expand our interest in Merino genetics and our passion for ram breeding. The Mumblebone breeding program combines early maturity and high fertility with exceptional wool quality.

Sustainable Production

A change in pasture management over the last 10 years has seen a move towards native species on all soil types for the Mumblebone sheep. Native pastures have adapted best to the subtle soil variations and seasonal variations in the country to provide the best source of year-round feed. A diverse range of native grasses will provide feed after rain at any time of the year.

The native species are encouraged in a rotational grazing system that sees a short graze period followed by the required rest. To do this, a grazing chart is used to match stocking rate to rainfall and we avoid running sheep on the land when the land can’t run them. Larger paddocks have been divided with a central watering point and electric fences to provide smaller paddocks and more of them. This ensures complete ground cover is maintained year round.

Maintaining good ground cover is a way of providing the environment for the most desirable grasses, like microleana, to thrive. This in turn discourages the less desirable species, like saffron thistles, and creates greater water holding capacity in the soil. This approach of working with nature allows us to greatly reduce or even eliminate the need for chemical artificial fertilizer use.

Mulesing is still a hotly debated topic with two distinct schools of thought on the subject. Mumblebone ceased mulesing in 2006. We didn’t originally set out to breed an animal that did not need to be mulesed, this is just one of the many benefits to have fallen into place by breeding the plain bodied, SRS® type sheep.

Contacts:
Name: Chad & Louise Taylor
Address: “Marapana” 456 Wuuluman Rd Wellington NSW 2820
Website: www.mumblebone.com.au
Phone: 02 6845 3620
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