John breeds quick-maturing sheep with high fat, muscle

THE Humbert family is celebrating 150 years in the Prairie and Calivil area since first taking up a landselection.

It’s where fourth-generation John Humbert is breeding robust, quick maturing, large framed, fertile sheep with high genetic fat and muscle which produce high yielding carcasses at his Kedleston Park Merino and Poll Merino Stud.

“The wool grown is a soft, white, deep, crimping, long, stapled, lustrous, medium wool suited to any environment,” says John.

“For the past three years we have been shearing every six months with wool cuts averaging 4.8kg per shearing of 18.5-20.4 micron with a yield of 71 to 76 per cent.

“Our lambing percentage for the past season was 102 per cent from unscanned ewes. We are into our third year of using ASBVs, with some rams testing in the top one per cent of the breed for yearling clean fleece weight and in the top 10 per cent for yearling body weight.

“At Kedleston Park we are using artificial insemination, embryo transfer and genotyping - all used to produce top performing rams and ewes to keep our clients’ flocks highly profitable.”

John and wife Rosemary founded their stud in 1996 after being state winners of the Victorian Flock of the Year and registered the stud in 2005.

“Ewes were brought from Roseville Park as well as a very influential ram from Tara Park, both being of Purple Mandulay blood,” said studmaster John.

“A poll stud was registered in 2006 with two poll sports rams and a selection of Kedleston Park ewes. There have been further ewes purchased from Moorundie and rams from Moorundie and Banavie and Lachlan Merinos.

John said his breeding objectives had an emphasis on the growth rate with many top young rams reaching up to 100kg body weight by 12 months of age and ewe lambs having a sufficient body weight by eight to 10 months of age to be joined.

And the aim for staple length was growing up to 12mm a month enabling sheep to be shorn every six months, says John.

Kedleston Park continues to exhibit its faith in showcasing rams, ewes and fleeces - the Calivil stud has taken out the Loddon Valley Field

Day’s coveted pen of three rams on six occasions. And there was repeat success too in the Australian fleece competition at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo this month winning the performance class fleece and also being awarded most valuable fleece in the performance class sections The fleece’s growth rate was 3.29mm a week and its growth value was rated at $3.41 a week.

FRIDAY 18 TH AUGUST 2023

Genomic tested and ASBVS available on the top 80 Rams