Romney 232/01 secures top ranking for Trigg group

THE DOMINION POST, 30 SEP 2004
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LOWER North Island breeder Trigg Romneys is excited by the success of one of its rams in the most recent Central Progeny Test.

Established in 2001, the test aims to determine the genetic links between breeds and strains of sheep to allow comparisons to be made of individual ram performance.

The test included 52 dual-purpose and terminal sires from New Zealand's top producers of sheep genetics and was focused on meat evaluation.

Trigg Romneys, a group of six Romney breeders who pool their genetic resources, feel their faith in the Romney bred has been vindicated by the results.

The Trigg Romneys ram 232/01, bred on Dave Stewart's Hiwinui Stud in Manawatu, was ranked top in the dual-purpose category, which included composites, and also ranked highly with the terminal sires.

Ram 232/01 was also a stand-out in the dual-purpose days-to-kill ranking and had the eighth-fastest growth rate across both the terminal and dual-purpose sires.

Established in 1999, Trigg Romney comprises Terry and Denis Clare, Richard Brown, Dave Stewart, Rick and Rachel Pettigrew, Ross Humphrey and Peter Mickleson.

Trigg stands for Terminal Romneys for Increased Genetic Gain.

With assistance from Massey University, the group has been conducting its own sire referencing and progeny testing trials, aiming to achieve maximum growth rates from the most fertile sheep.

The group is optimistic about the future of the meat industry and the Romney breed.