They can buy ewes that carry the breeder’s lifetime’s work on disease resistance and extend the benefits nationally for the whole sheep industry.
Gordon Levet’s Kikitangeo Romney stud will offer 850 sheep in the Wellsford sale yards on February 24, all of them very highly ranked for worm resistance and in excellent health before joining.
The flock sale was initially very disappointing to Levet, but he now sees it being in the national interest to have other sheep breeders complete the task to make worm resistance the dominant trait in their flocks.
“My hope is that other breeders will continue with my successful programme and build on 34 years of groundwork,” Levet said.
“The genetic answer to internal parasites will not only control worm challenges, but ensure better overall health of sheep.
“Farmers will benefit with less costs and labour input and having fewer chemicals entering the food chain will be a huge plus for consumers.”
PGG Wrightson’s livestock genetics representative and auctioneer Cam Heggie says this is the leading flock in the country for faecal egg counting and worm resistance, and highly ranked for facial eczema tolerance.
“These sheep are highly recommended for their ability to shift and for the unquestionable integrity of the breeder,” Heggie said.
“It is very rare for ewes of this calibre bred in the sheep-unfriendly Kaipara to come to public auction.”
The offering will be 330 two-tooth ewes, 160 four-tooths, 165 six-tooths, 128 four-year ewes, 65 five-years and four mixed-age sires.
Levet says his breeding programme had delivered extraordinary results in the past two years when the overall health of his Kaipara sheep had never been better.
Concentrating on breeding for worm resistance did not have a negative impact on other production traits, particularly growth, as had long been thought.
“More research is needed but it is my gut feeling that a stronger immune system equates to healthier animals, which would result in better productivity,” Levet said.
The past year had been unprecedented for virtually no pneumonia, no pink eye and no grass staggers.
There was also a noticeable absence of cattle ticks and Barber’s pole worms.
“This exceptional sheep health has thankfully extended into this year, with the ewes in better condition than I have seen since childhood, when my father had a low stocking rate in sheep,” he said.
Levet says his long period of sheep breeding for worm resistance had disappointments as well as exciting moments, but he had never doubted success, only that the time frame was unknown.
Now 88, he says he would continue to give advice in the sheep industry while able, when it’s requested.
