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Property Name: Richmond

Location: Quandialla, NSW, Australia.

History

The Richmond flock was founded in 1994 with the purchase of pure Severn Park blood ewes and rams. In 2001 on the advice of our sheep classer, Charlie Massy, we decided to create a nucleus ewe flock and implement a laparoscopic insemination program to breed replacement rams. In 2004 we were accepted as a stud within the SRS® Merino breeding system. Over time we have developed the stud to approximately 500 ewes. In June 2008 we expanded our numbers by purchasing 122 in-lamb stud ewes at the Severn Park dispersal sale. In recent years there has been a strong emphasis on increasing the Poll gene within the flock. In 2010, 70% of our stud ewes were joined to Poll sires.

People:

Richmond is a family business owned and managed by Trevor and Sarah Ryan. Their sons Reuben and Monty are the fifth generation to breed Merino sheep on the property. The Ryan family are passionate Merino breeders and are committed to continually improving the breed in a sustainable, eco-friendly environment.

Sustainable Production:

We ceased mulesing in 2005 and there is a strong emphasis at Richmond on environmentally sustainable management. Holistic grazing is practised at Richmond. Except for joining and lambing the sheep are run in large mobs and are moved regularly in a rotational grazing system that encourages the growth of the native perennial grasses. All sheep on Richmond are run under commercial conditions providing supplementary feed only in times of nutritional stress. Our stud sheep graze the same country as our flock sheep and we are not interested in any form of artificial feeding or showring activity. No rams are shedded. The rams are run straight in from the paddock on sale day. The sheep must be able to perform in their natural environment and this will continue to be our policy. The sheep graze clean, chemical free pastures and there is no mulesing or body jetting for flystrike.

Benefits of SRS®

What our clients have to say:

"After buying our first Richmond rams in 2001, we began the process of breeding an easy care sheep that still remains productive. By 2004, we felt we had no need to treat our breeding flock for body strike. From Christmas 2009 to March 2010 we received 433 millimetres (11 inches) of rain and during this period we had no fly strike with our sheep in full wool. Over this time, we have still managed to increase our wool cut and decrease our micron."

C & J Dixon,
"Lavendo", Quandialla NSW

"We have used Richmond Merinos exclusively since 2002 after 15 years on Soft Rolling Skin® bloodlines. Richmond Merinos offers us a strong local bloodline that we know will flourish in our environment and cope well with our specific conditions. The large framed, plain-bodied Richmond types are ideal for a dual purpose operation, which suits our mixed farming enterprise.

The lambs are maturing early and allow us to sell our wethers into the fat trade, while the bright long stapled bold crimping wool is the finest I have produced in more than 30 years of wool growing. The combination of high value wool and quick growth gives our operation flexibility and responsiveness to market conditions, and I have no hesitation in giving Richmond Merinos our highest recommendations."

D & G Jacobs,
"Wallendbeen Station", Wallendbeen NSW

"We moved over to the Richmond Merino rams 5 years ago and have noticed great improvements in both the frame of our sheep and our wool quality. The sheep are easier to shear due to their plainer bodies. They are cutting more wool and it is softer. This is our first year of trailing non-mulesing, an unusually wet and humid summer followed. We have had very little fly problems in the lambs, no more than usual in conventional mulesing.

We will continue with the Richmond Merino rams and our non-mulesing practice as we are very pleased with the quality and improvements in our sheep and to date the results look very promising."

H & N Hunter,
"Rockleigh", Young NSW

Contacts:
Name: Trevor and Sarah Ryan
Address: “Richmond”, Quandialla NSW 2721
Ph: 02 6347 1166
Mobile: 0437 153 765
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