Valma Stud

About the McLauchlan Family

Andrew and Caroline McLauchlan along with their two sons, Beau and Oscar run their Poll Hereford Poll Dorset and White Suffolk stud at Whitemore Tasmania.

Our continued success over so many years is a result of clients making money out of their Valma purchases. Our breeding program is very commercially orientated. We strive for easy care, high yielding stock, that will perform under all conditions.

Poll Hereford

Our focus with the Poll Herefords is producing soft, easy doing, high yielding cattle. Temperamet and structural correctedness are very important. We prioritise these traits, combined with the best breed plan figures we can find.

Poll Dorset

A measure of our present flock status is reflected in the umber of Poll Dorset studs throughout Australia that use Valma sires and the continula high standing against all termina sires in across-flock comparisons on Lamplan. Our breeding program is very commercially oriented – as well as the obvious carcase and growth rates that the industry strives for, finer fronts for lambing ease, longer bodies for carcase weight and mobility.

White Suffolk

Our aim at Valma with the White Suffolks is to continue to breed the same type of rams with low birth weights that Spring Valley focused on. We see the White Suffolks as complementary to our Poll Dorsets, giving our clients additional options when buying rams suitable for smaller merino ewes, maiden ewes and retaining lamb ewes.

Our History

Valmont Poll Herefords was established by the late Lyell Stuart in 1957. Later the Stud was dispersed with Lyell’s eldest daughter Anne and husband Keith McLauchlan starting the Valma Poll Hereford stud.

With  genetics based from the Valmont stud and  Stonehouse hereford Stud, Keith and Anne continued under the Valma prefix, which continues today with their son Andrew and wife Caroline.

The advantage of Dorsets without horns encouraged three of Australias leading Dorset horn breeders to attempt to breed off the horns. The three breeders worked independently in three different states and using different methods, each produced the Poll Dorset at approximately the same time.

One of those foundation breeders was Lyell Stuart of ‘Valmont’, Tasmania.
From the earliest days in the Poll Dorset breeding program, Anne Stuart, later became Anne McLauchlan, was heavily involved in the recording and day to day stud work. She was to continue this close involvement throughout her whole life thus giving continuity to the breeding program.

From their Marriage on Keith also became a part of the planning and management team at Valma Downs.

From a very young age Andrew played an influential roll in the breeding program and in recent years has taken on the stud, which continues to focus heavily on carcase quality.

Valma Poll Dorsets are widely recognized for their excellent balance in trait performance, with special emphasis on muscle and early maturity.

In 1982 Keith and Anne started breeding white suffolks and registered Valma white Suffolks in 1985. Their children Sally and John took on these sheep which became Leith and Spring Valley White suffolks.

In 2017 Andrew and Caroline purchased Spring Valley White Suffolks from Sally. They look forward to continuing the great work Sally has achieved over the years offering sound rams that suit Tasmanian conditions that produce lambs to suit all conditions