Watching rams bred at Kurralea thrive in all different environments, and add value to the operations they enter, still amazes Ben Prentice.
“Year in and year out, getting to sale time and seeing where they end up is a highlight,” he said.
“We do a lot of ram delivering and it has always amazed me to see the rams who have spent life so far at Kurralea, and one ends up in the western district of Victoria or in Tasmania in two-foot-high grass for the rest of its life, and the one next to it ends up at Conargo, NSW, in a 10,000-acre paddock.”
Breeding rams that can adapt to all climates and environments is just one of the reasons Ariah Park based stud operated by Ben, his wife Lucy and their three children will celebrate significant milestones in 2025.
Kurralea Studs was originally founded by Jim and Kim Prentice in 1975. This year marks 50 years of breeding Poll Dorsets and 25 years of breeding White Suffolks. The stud also has Suffolk and Ultra White sheep breeds in its stable.
Ben remains humble about the stud’s success and longevity, appreciating the fact he gets to do what he loves.
“You have got to enjoy it, have a passion for the stock, and take a bit of pride in what is standing in front of you,” Ben said when asked about the secret to reaching 50 years of breeding.
“Be happy with what you are looking at rather than doing it the way others do; be aware of what else goes on – you can’t get too stuck in your ways, but don’t lose focus on what your stud is doing.”
This year’s annual 2 Breed On-Property Ram Sale, to be held Tuesday 30 September, will see 300 Poll Dorset and White Suffolk rams offered at auction with stud sires also available online via AuctionsPlus.
One of the biggest changes since the stud held its first sale in 1998, Ben said, has been the number of farmers.
“There are a lot less farmers around and the ones left are a lot bigger…we don’t sell anywhere near as many close to home, and we now sell much larger numbers and much further afield – we have maybe half the clients we did 30 years ago, but we are selling more rams,” Ben said.
The sheep themselves have also evolved, Ben said, but Kurralea’s focus remains on breeding large-framed rams with clean points, particularly on feet and legs, plus structural correctness and high growth rates.
The tough seasonal conditions mean this year’s sale rams haven’t had an easy run, Ben said, but they will still present in their usual outstanding fashion.
Standout sire lines in the offering include Poll Dorsets by Kurralea 200457, a regular top-end sire at the stud, and Bruan 210026, a ram with impressive Australian Sheep Breeding Values.
Among the White Suffolks, sons of Farrer 210024 will feature strongly, following excellent results last year.
“On one hand everyone has had a tough year and we saw a lot of decreased stock numbers early in the year, but now all of a sudden the lamb job has gone through the roof so those who have got them are doing well,” Ben said.
“Providing we can get a bit of a season going everyone will be up and about across the whole sheep job.”
Looking back at his time at the helm of Kurralea, Ben recalls major show success and high-priced stud ram sales – many of which broke national records – as being exciting when they came around.
“But probably the highlight, in all honesty, is that you can line up each year and sell your rams to a lot of the same clients who have been coming for here a long time.
“It’s rewarding to see where the rams all go and the job they do.”
The Prentice family look forward to welcoming visitors and ram buyers to the 50 Year Poll Dorset and 25 Year White Suffolk Anniversary Annual Ram Sale on the last Tuesday in September.
