Ryan Sager, 11, has become a registered South Suffolk purebred stud sheep breeder.
His flock of nine purebred South Suffolk ewes has almost doubled in size this breeding season with the birth of 15 new lambs.
He has called his endeavour the Misty Creek Stud and like all serious breeders has it registered with the New Zealand Sheepbreeders’ Association Suffolk stud register.
This makes him the youngest registered Suffolk breeder inthe country, and for his mentor Doug Croy it’s something he’s proud off.
‘‘Ryan is a very keen young sheep man and his passion is for Suffolk sheep, he’s always keen to learn and surprisingly for someone so young, he has a lot of stock sense. I think he will keep a number of them for stud and sell the others. He is actually very good at picking which ones to keep and which ones to sell,’’ he says.
Ryan says he enjoys the role of a breeder and loves learning all he can about the sheep and how to breed them.
The South Suffolk first appeared in New Zealand during the 1930s in response to an overseas demand for leaner meat. The breed was developed in Canterbury by Southdown Stud breeder, Mr George Gould, who introduced Suffolks to the country.
