Greenland Merino & Poll Merino Stud
"Merambego" Bungarby NSW 2630
Phone: John: 02 64536244 or Greg: 0487857821
GREENLAND STUD HISTORY
The Greenland stud was founded in 1985 with the purchase of ewes from Snowy Plain Stud. Registered in 1987 with additional ewes bought from The Springhead Stud dispersal where all the 2 tooth ewes were purchased. Three separate families were formed a Fine/medium Family, a Finewool Family and a Superfine Family of which each family has been kept separate to this day. Greenland was founded with the aim to breed for a soft handling fine-medium to superfine wool suitable for the heavy rainfall areas. In 1987 Greenland formed a Poll Merino Stud. With these four families we further developed the sheep to breed predictable to suit most areas of Australia. This has been proven by the fact that Greenland rams are selling to Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and wide areas of Victoria and New South Wales.
At Greenland we are continuously concentrating on improving the genetics to breed a well balanced sheep that is correct in structure with good bone on a large frame and yet maintain fibre diameter with supple skins and a rich well nourished distinct crimped wool that performs well, with high fertility and a versatile sheep that are suitable to most environments as well as various options such as sheep that will reach the desired body weight for the boat trade, meat trade or ewes that are suitable for first cross lamb mothers. Large framed sheep usually create strong competition from restocker interest.
Greenland has bred four very influential sires: Captain by a ram Greenland bred T10. The Captains are still the backbone of the fine-mediums, having bred Caterpillar out of a top Captain Ewe 1684 and a Nerstane Ram 031253. Caterpillar 2 is sired by Caterpillar. Finewools: TT, bred from a Greenland ewe and sired by Tilba Tilba Winter. TT was the sire of Kato and progeny from Kato are still breeding some of the biggest sheep around the country. The TT sires are still the main influence sires in the finewools. Superfines: Superking was bred by Greenland as an Ultrafine sire and was sired by a Merryville Ringmaster Ram. The Superkings have increased frame and fertility and are very repeatable, predictable. Crimpmaster was bred as a superfine and was sired by a Merryville Brilliant Example Ram. Greenland uses the Crimpmaster as an outcross for the Superkings.
First Ram Sale was in 1988 at the 7th Annual Monaro White Wool Sale held at Cooma Showground on 14th November. Continued with the Monaro White Sale until 1997 Greenland went with the 1st Annual Ram Sale of the Monaro Fine and Superfine Merinos at Nimmitabel Showground on 5th November. Then in 2000 it became the MMA Monaro Fine and Superfine Ram Sale. Then 2001 it became the combined Monaro Merino Association 18th Annual Monaro Superfine, Fine and Medium Ram Sale at the Nimmitabel Showground on 13th November. Greenland had its Inaugural On Property Ram Sale at Mountain View in our new Shed on 11th November 2002 with 100 rams for sale.
In these years Greenland and Greenland clients enjoyed High wool prices. In 1989 Greenland wool sold from 2000c kg up to 4200c kg with that being the top priced wool on Monaro
Greenland Sale Ram numbers started at 10 in 1988, to build up to 100 in 2002.
Kevin Harvey of Strathdownie Vic, is our longest client buying his first rams in 1990, and only missing one year due to ill health. In 2010 we celebrated Kevin and his family buying rams from us for 20 years, to mark this occasion Kevin and his family received a Clock with the photo of him buying our top priced Ram in 1999 printed on the clock.
The results from a number of our clients recording fleece weights in excess of 8kgs average for their adult sheep. Greenland client Max & Coral Caldwell sold highest priced wethers to have sold through the Cooma Saleyards at $130 in May 2010. Somerton Pastoral Co. sold their entire drop of 11 month old merino wethers at Wagga Wagga in August 2010 to average $110. Mary and Josh Burns sold 330 cull wethers in September 2010 at Wagga Wagga to average $133.AWI and DPI Merino Bloodline Performance Comparison 2010 shows that Greenland Merino Stud is running in 4th Place out of the 268 bloodlines in the medium accuracy. Greenland Bloodlines rate 14th in the Top 20 performing Merino Bloodlines out of 137 bloodlines.
Progeny from Greenland rams in 1995 run third in the South Australian Wether Trial.
Greenland entered a team of 15 finewool wethers in the 2000 Falkiner Memorial Field Station Riverina Merino Wether comparison—Open Section, we were very pleased to have been placed 1st for the first and second shearing in April of both years. Greenland was the overall winner. There was 44 teams in the open section of the comparison from different blood lines right across Australia. These wethers were progeny of a large framed ram we bred in 1998 called Kato.
Greenland exhibited Kato around the local show circuit and he won the Inaugural Monaro Merino Ram of the Year in 2001 as well as Grand Champion Ram of Cooma Show.. Weighing in at 140kgs it is pleasing to note that he is passing his size onto his progeny having been entered into the Falkiner Memorial Field Station Sire Evaluation Scheme. His progeny are so far the heaviest weaning weights out of all the rams entered.
2007 saw Greenland Stud take top honours once again in winning Monaro Merino Ram of the Year for 2007. This ram we called Caterpillar (photo above) was sent in straight out from the paddock, it was an unhoused ram competing with shedded sheep. It is a great thing to see that an unhoused ram can get up and win on the day, it’s a pretty unusual thing to happen. The competition judges stated they were looking for structurally sound, big ram to compete and above all else carry an above average quality fleece of wool and have a good presence. Winning the Ram of the Year twice proves theres some sort of consistency of the breeder, however all the merino sheep on the Monaro can stand up against merinos anywhere in Australia and be right up there with the best of them.
2009 again saw Greenland Stud win Monaro Merino Ram of the Year with a son of Caterpillar that won in 2007.