Gromark sheep are a large-framed, plain bodied dual-purpose (

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

and

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

) breed of

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

that were under development in 1965 by Arthur C. Godlee at "Marengo",

Tamworth, New South Wales Tamworth is a city and administrative centre of the north-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia. Situated on the Peel River (New South Wales), Peel River within the local government area of the Tamworth Regional Council, it is the largest ...

. They were selected for a high growth rate, fertility, wool quality and carcase attributes.

Characteristics

The Gromark is a prime sheep fixed at approximately 69 percent

Corriedale The Corriedale is a New Zealand list of sheep breeds, breed of Domestic sheep, sheep. It was bred from about 1882 in the South Island by James Little, who cross-bred Australian Merino, Merino and Lincoln (sheep), Lincoln Longwool sheep. The bre ...

and 50 percent Border Leicester genetics. It is polled (does not have horns), has a white open face, clean legs. The long white

fleece weighs 4-7 kilos, is about 130 mm long and averages about 30

microns The micrometre (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a uni ...

Preparation of Australian Wool Clips, Code of Practice 2010-2012, Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX), 2010 in fibre diameter.''Sheep breed compendium'', Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX), 2010 Rams average 100 kg, ewes are approximately 75-80 kg (175lb). The rams are typically used as terminal sires for first-cross fat lamb production, but the ewes do produce large lean lambs. The Gromark breed is hardy with a low incidence of fly strike and

dystocia Obstructed labour, also known as labour dystocia, is the baby not exiting the pelvis because it is physically blocked during childbirth although the uterus contracts normally. Complications for the baby include not getting enough oxygen which ...

. Since 1965 Gromark sheep have been selected by objective measurement for good growth, without excessive fat. The results are being used to provide breed-specific parameters to improve the accuracy of Estimated Breeding Values (EBV) produced by Australia's national performance testing scheme for meat sheep. In 1979 the Australian Gromark Breed Society was formed and is committed to performance recording of the breed. This breed is mostly found in the high rainfall areas of south-east Australia, in New South Wales and Victoria. The

Rare Breeds Trust of Australia Rare may refer to: * Rare, a particular temperature of meat * Something infrequent or scarce, see Scarcity :* Rare species, a conservation category in biology designating the scarcity of an organism and implying a threat to its viability Rare o ...

has classified the breed as "recommended for investigation" into its stability as a breeding population.

References

{{Sheep breeds of Australia and New Zealand Sheep breeds originating in Australia Sheep breeds