Agriculture
7 January, 2025
Hooked on classics: stud making a mark
By CHRIS EARL ROD KIRK had a yearning to come to Australia – the country he saw as the home of Merinos and a land of opportunity for his young family to become part of the sheep industry. A passion for Merinos whetted in his native New Zealand...
By CHRIS EARL
ROD KIRK had a yearning to come to Australia – the country he saw as the home of Merinos and a land of opportunity for his young family to become part of the sheep industry.
A passion for Merinos whetted in his native New Zealand, deep on the South Island below the 45 Parallel that runs around the globe below Tasmania, where Rod had been a recipient of the Otago Merino Association’s Monaro Scholarship.
The scholarship had brought Rod to Australia to gain a better understanding of breeding principles, bloodlines, and farm management across the Tasman.
Back in New Zealand, the yearning remained to return to Australia “where I believed there were more opportunities in the industry”, he said.
Phone calls were made across the ditch. Rod was in luck. FS Falkiner and Sons, part of the Australian Food and Agriculture Company since 2000, and based on the famous Wanganella bloodline had an opening. So, too, did NSW Health for Rod’s wife and physiotherapist Nicola.
For almost six years they made home the southern Riverina where Rod was under the tutelage of the legendary Forbes Murdoch who had been recruited to class Boonoke Merino Stud at Deniliquin and then as studmaster and classer of the three Australian Food and Agriculture Company’s Merino studs - Boonoke, Wanganella and Poll Boonoke. FS Falkiner’s stud manager Jim Coward was equally influential in Rod’s early years working in Australia.
Rod would be part of the stud’s show contingent and in 2007, won the Malcolm Swain Memorial for best handler at the national Merino show in Dubbo.
Then came the chance to Rod and Nicola to move south. “Roger Polkinghorn was looking for some at his Charinga stud at Berrimal, near Wedderburn. Another opportunity to learn presented itself and down we came.” Rod said Roger had been supplying Wanganell awith his bloodlines.
Rod and Nicola also started leasing property at Berrimal when opportunity again emerged.
“The property came onto the market – land in an area that’s very tightly held. I had seen how well Charinga performed on the land and we decided Berrimal would be the home for our own stud.”
Again the hook of Wanganella bloodlines would be at the heart of the Kirk’s planning. The first purchase was made in 2017 to establish the Longdale Park stud and have purchased some ewes and rams every year since.
“We have since infused Charinga and Orrie Cowie rams into the flock but there will always be a strong influence of Wanganella genetics,” Rod said.
Longdale made its first steps onto the show mat in 2022 and within 12 months has enjoyed increasing success.
At the Australian Sheep and Wool Show last year, the stud claimed the champion and reserve champion March-shorn fine-medium wool ram awards and reserve junior champion fine-medium wool ram prize and several broad ribbons at the Victorian Sheep Show in Ballarat.
“It was only our second year showing at Bendigo and we would have been happy to get second ... to take the next step is unbelievable,” he said. And last weekend, the fledgling Merino stud collected more blue ribbons at the national show and praise from industry peers for the stud’s progress.
The stud was first in the March-shorn fine-medium wool horned ram lamb and first in March-shorn medium wool horned ram, less than two permanent teeth. This ram also took out reserve champion in the medium wool horned section. There was a first in the March-shorn fine Wool ram lamb . that went onto be chosen as reserve champion.
And with a first in the March-shorn fine wool, more than two permanent teeth ram, the Kirks claims a champion ribbon at the show.
Rod and Nicola breed the traditional horned Merinos and believes that as a heavier cutting sheep, they retained a place in the industry. He also “keeps the eye in” blade shearing the stud’s top rams.
“We are aiming to increase the animal’s carcass traits while maintaining the wool cut with a target of 19 micron,” he said.
The Kirks have also started to breed poll Merinos as they continue to build numbers at Longdale Park. Nicola said it was sons Forbes and Duncan who had keen to incorporate polls into the stud.
The boys also have their own sheepdogs – Mister and Munro.
“Longdale Park had a successful year in sales and in the show ring in 2023, selling more rams to existing clients with more buyers choosing to infuse our genetics through their flocks for a fantastic product that is real value for money,” Rod said.
“Swapping the green by extreme weather climate of the Otago region in New Zealand for Australia has open the door to opportunities – we’ve established the stud, continued to expand knowledge of the Merino industry and link that passion to breed bloodlines we aim to see show good white wools and durability.”