Leahcim White Suffolk Stud

Welcome to Leahcim

Leahcim is our family’s farm, stud or bloodstock name that has been used for many years. We pronounce it as Leah- cim and it is simply Michael backwards. Alex Michael had a race horse that was extremely successful back in 1950 winning the Port Adelaide cup and many other group one races and was really the start of the Leahcim name. The Michael family first purchased land and farmed at Snowtown in 1873 on the foothills of the Barunga Ranges which was part of Hummocks Station. For the last 45 years we have focused on breeding sheep both merinos and terminal or meat producing sheep. Sheep and wool production now makes up 80% of the income derived at Leahcim whereas 20 years age it would have been 20% of our income. With succession planning and changeover we now run a large percentage of the business under Leahcim Farming which is Luke, Stewart and Alistair’s and families trading partnership. Over the last 20 years since changing our business structure we have been able to increase and diversify our land holding from our original farm which was 250ha three Kilometers south of Snowtown. Within the last 20 years we have purchased Nolan’s a pastoral property 50 kilometers east of Burra, Panlatinga at Willalooka in the south east, Bankowner the property adjacent to Leahcim and in December 2016 we purchased Hummocks Station. All of these properties play a different role within the Business.

Leahcim White Suffolk Vision

Leahcim was one of eighteen foundation flocks that were very involved with the development and structuring of the breed in the early days. The White Suffolk breed has always had a strong connection with Sheep Genetics and the development of ASBV’s within the sheep meat industry. Over the last 10 years Leahcim has changed its direction from a large frame White Suffolk that was quite lean with average muscle (Ideal for the shows) to a sheep that has high early growth with moderate fat and very positive for muscle. The big change at Leahcim since 2014 is the identification and use of genetics with the best available eating quality traits while maintaining the best carcase ASBV’s within the industry. The White Suffolk breed have some of the best meat eating quality sheep in Australia and we believe Leahcim has used the best of them that have been identified. All ewe mating’s are designed with the use of Matesel which in a computer program designed to maximize genetic gain and reduce inbreeding using our sheep’s information within Sheep Genetics. Leahcim is increasing our ewe flock numbers along with the quality of genetics to be able to offer large numbers of rams managed under very commercial conditions.