Our History
The Willows has been in the Harpley family since 1854, when our forebears set camp by the creek en route to the Lambing Flat goldfields and decided to stay. Today, the fifth generation runs the property, with the sixth not far behind.
Originally a dairy, the farm later moved into prime lamb production, running Corriedale ewes joined to Poll Dorset rams. In the 1970s, fourth-generation farmer Kel Harpley trialled Suffolk rams and quickly saw the benefits, more lambs, faster growth, and easier lambing. The only drawback was the black faces, which faced bias at saleyards despite their proven carcass quality.
Clean points
High muscle
The attributes of the breed are:
Lean
Mid micron wool
Ease of Lambing
Fast growing
These traits were kept but the black face was bred out.
Mobility
This challenge became the foundation for the White Suffolk breed. Kel joined Prime Lamb Genetics Limited, the trust that bred and refined the original White Suffolk nucleus flock. The goal was simple: retain the performance traits of the Suffolk without the black fibres.
Those traits remain the backbone of our breeding program today, clean points, mobility, fast growth, muscling, leanness, and ease of lambing.
Willows was among the early adopters of Lambplan, recognising that objective data, not just visual traits, drives real progress. That focus on measurable performance continues to guide us.
Our stud still traces back to those original White Suffolk genetics and remains true to the founding purpose of Prime Lamb Genetics: to breed sheep that meet market demand, perform efficiently, and deliver value to commercial producers.