Please reach us at i.b.tubby@bigpond.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Our uniqueness is that we were very much a part of the pioneering of these two new breeds of sheep. We aspire to be right up with the best with new ideas and genetics as much as possible within the limitations of mere mortal humans, as well as the constraints of our modern world.
Producer who want to know or see what stock we have for sale will be updated regularly on our website or simply need to contact us any time.
Producer who want to know or see what stock we have for sale will be updated regularly on our website or simply need to contact us any time.
A - That is a very fair question, which I take on board, without any resentment, in fact I welcome it. Yes we have not made the gains within the Cleanskin Industry that we would have wanted, compared to some of the very successful, large operations, which I really do admire. They have marketed a type of sheep to Australian sheep producers, who like us, had long been considered exiting the multipurpose wool and meat producing sheep industry. We all know you don't always achieve what you wish for. My plans for developing my breed, which I called the "Australian Wiltidam" had to go on the back burner for many years, as I struggled with a perfect storm, of business and personal set backs, the hardest one, being loosing my Wife to terminal brain cancer some years ago. These issues never diminished my passion for the industry. I am still very proud of the fact, that my Wife and I released the first Australian developed hair skin sheep breed, bred for Australian environment and markets in 2011. We had our initial first crossed lambs born in 2006 and displayed them at an on-farm field day, in the Northern Wheatbelt of WA. I made a presentation to the inaugural Australian Cleanskin Sheep Symposium in March 2010, at which time I floated the idea of developing a breed, that would have the good points, without the well known weaknesses, of the very useful breeds that had just arrived in Australia. We launched the breed with a display of some 15 rams and ewes the following year 2011, at the second very successful event at the Adelaide Show Grounds. These sheep had all been sold prior to the event, going to at least three states. They were very soon followed by our sheep being sent to every State apart from the NT.
A - Believe me, when I say that would have been a lot less stressful and probably more profitable in the short term. Please don't ever take for granted, the years of hard, frustrating, lonely work that a relatively small number of, very committed Australian breeders, devoted to this challenge. If I could have purchase any of the very admirable Australian developed breeds available now, back in the late ninety's, I would have a lot less grey hair now! I am not going to revisit all the knowledge, predictions and facts that I have written about since around 2006, when we took up the challenge. There have been many other publications and press releases since that time, indicating other like minded people were also heading towards developing Australia's own type of meat sheep, as we have always done since colonization. I made the statement "a lonely" undertaking. Our type of sheep were even referred to as "Cane Toads of The Sheep Industry" and we were shunned by friends, neighbours and colleagues.! This of course is the same as happened in the cattle industry 100 years ago, when those horrible, skinny, hardy old Braham's first arrived in Australia.
A - My only regret is that these breeds weren't available a long time ago to complement grain growing, with the limitations for growing crops that we had only 30 odds years ago. These type of sheep have a guaranteed future, for chemical free, sustainable and profitable quality meat production for the world. You will have choices to increase numbers, as a result of less labour required, or simply have time to devote to pleasure, or other business. Your profit, per hectare, will be similar, or better, because of a huge reduction of cost. Remember, a given amount of feed, will either produce wool, meat, bone or horns. Unfortunately as it is for growing crops, you get nothing for nothing in this world.
A - I have spent a lot of time talking to the professor at one of the main university in QLD, who has done a lot of research in this field and surprise, surprise if a sheep has a reasonable percentage of the ancient old biblical fat tail sheep, the intramuscular fat is increased. Apart from this current very favoured trait, there is another characteristic that I had brought to my notice many years ago. Apparently, unless you are a born and bred Aussie guy like myself, who has lived on lamb and mutton and prefers it to any other red meat, there is a well known issue with the cooking odour of sheep meat. It comes directly from the lanolin which assumedly is contained in the subcutaneous fat. I admit I can't detect it and the smell of roasting lambs still makes me drool!
A - This of course is totally understandable, however was blown out of all proportion, as many sheep throughout Australia have always lived side by side with goats, which would have potential for wool contamination more than the type of sleek, white, clean type of sheep we breed. Apart from that, for reasons unknown to me, haired sheep and woolled sheep prefer to keep separate most of the time. Yes I have had some regrets, as I have said, but my main regret was the lack of support from within the cleanskin industry itself. I attended the three Cleanskin Sheep Symposium, conducted at the Adelaide show ground for three consecutive years, 2010 -2011 -2012. These were well run, great learning events. They folded from a lack of support, despite pleas by many of us, to bring all new breeds under one nationwide umbrella, to gain the well know benefits. The sad part was it was the ones who gained most from the industry, who were not prepared to give back to the struggling, new developing, National organization. My prediction at this time is, that over 60% of Australian sheep will be different breeds of meat sheep, they will all have one thing in common, they will not need shearing. That will also mean producers who feel they can continue to grow even better wool, than the exceptional fibre that Australia is legendary for, will hopefully be paid its real value, as a result of less supply.
A - This is no doubt something that a lot of people are asking, when you travel around Australia and see how popular and what a large percentage of sheep are from these breeds. This is more obvious in hobby farm areas, surrounding cities and regional areas, where they are so suited to that wonderful and growing lifestyle. Are some of these sheep good examples of what is currently available, hardly. This growing market needs servicing and educating that there are now well regulated breeds of these sheep, starting with some very good breed societies. It is well known how difficult it is to get like minded people to work together at any time. It is an unfortunate fact that our, ruggedly independent farmers struggle to agree on very much at all. Certainly they have great difficulty in finding common ground on many things, which has and will continue causing further demise of agriculture, until the world gets a lot more hungry than they are at this time !