SHEEP Country Episode 6 – Hildreth Romneys: Breeding Strength

Hildreth Romneys is a multigenerational Hawke’s Bay stud focused on breeding resilient, productive sheep suited to New Zealand’s diverse conditions. With more than 60 years of Romney breeding behind them, the Hildreth family continues to prioritise key traits like fertility, survival, growth, and tolerance to facial eczema and worms.

In this episode, stud breeder Marcus Hildreth joins Jo Scott to discuss how genetics, data, and emerging tools such as AI are helping lift flock performance. He also shares insights on the growing interest in Wiltshires; why he’s keeping the breed pure, and how technology and time remain the most powerful drivers of genetic progress.

Guest:

• Marcus Hildreth, Stud Breeder, Hildreth Romneys

Host:

• Jo Scott, Genetic Specialist, Targeted Breeding

Marcus Hildreth is the third generation behind Hildreth Romneys, a family run Hawke’s Bay stud with more than 60 years of breeding history. From their hill country property, the Hildreths are focused on producing reliable, resilient Romneys that perform under pressure while tackling industry challenges like facial eczema and worm burden through genetics rather than management alone.

Marcus explains how the stud’s breeding priorities have evolved to balance fertility, survival and growth with traits for parasite resistance, and how new tools from SIL data to AI assisted analysis are helping identify top performers faster. He also shares why he’s expanding into Wiltshires; the growing demand for low input sheep, and why steady, measurable genetic progress built on quality and time remains the foundation of the stud’s success.

Find out more about Hildreth Romneys on their website here.