Blythvale Merino Stud

Blythvale Merino stud is operated by Bill & Trina Weatherly, with son Edward & his wife Rosie managing the Blythvale property. Blythvale has been owned by successive generations of the Weatherly family since 1900.

Blythvale is near Streatham in Victoria's Western District. The sheep are run on improved pastures at stocking rates that require hardiness, & the climate requires suitable wools. Autumn & winter can be challenging. Wool lines from 2013 ranged from 14 to 18 microns.

Blythvale Merino Stud No.134 has a long history, & many achievements. It also has a history of careful innovation & improvement. Blythvale was an early adopter of SRS selection with Dr Jim Watts AM, of mothering to record pedigrees, recording weaning weights, use of objective fleece measurement, selection for worm resistance, & for objective carcass assessment.

Blythvale has made great progress with SRS selection by Dr Jim Watts AM, over the past 22 years. We have seen a lift in wool productivity, wool quality, as well as improvement in carcass, fertility & survival traits. The sheep have soft skins on plain bodies, & have not been mulesed since 2007.

Integrated package of balanced selection using ASBV's under commercial conditions, recognizing the importance of carcass, fertility & ability to thrive, alongside quality & quantity of wool.