It’s more than just a job

Lorroi and Justin Kirkby, Amarula Dorpers. (Supplied)

“Dorpers are our life, not just a job. We don’t have to do this – we get to do this.”

Justin and Lorroi Kirkby have never been afraid to adapt early and adopt new innovative farming ideas.

Persistence and hard work has made Amarula Dorper Stud hugely successful, having the longest running Dorper and White Dorper on-farm annual production sale.

Amarula Dorpers are bred for fertility and adaptability, combined with meat quality and muscle yield.

The benefit of Amarula Dorper prime lambs is they grow quickly and finish early, and high prices are paid for excess Amarula blood ewes.

These profit dividing qualities add up to a thriving and successful lamb production business.

Amarula is committed to breeding highly productive Dorpers that are high yielding, moderate frame and fertile.

We believe the hardiness and adaptability, combined with high fertility and low maintenance makes them the most viable self replacing meat sheep breed in the world.

We aim to breed the highest quality genetics which we have sold all over Australia and many different countries.

Amarula Dorpers is a family run business with the Kirkby boys – Sam, Flynn and Jock – being the eighth generation of farmers.

We are here for the long run and very passionate about breeding Dorpers and their future goals.

Amarula is located on 2200 acres, 50km East of Moree.

In 2000, we invested in Dorpers, as they possess adaptations that make them a robust sheep breed, that copes well with variations in food availability and quality.

In the face of increasing climate variability, it is essential to have sheep which can both capitalise on good seasonal conditions but still perform under challenging ones.

In the past, we have drawn on the wealth of knowledge, of the South African Dorper breeders.

Now we are certified judges and inspectors of the Dorper breed and have the privilege to assist the Dorper industry, by providing a local source of knowledge for stud and commercial breeders.

We are passionate about breeding extremely productive Dorpers, that are high yielding with great eating quality traits, moderate frame and fertile.

We believe the hardiness and adaptability, combined with high survivability and low maintenance, make them the most viable self-replacing, shedding meat sheep breed in the world

We run 500 stud Dorper ewes alongside a commercial Dorper flock of 1000 ewes, as well as 100 stud white Dorper ewes.

We sell rams and ewes year round.

It only seems the other day we had our last Amarula Dorper Sale, but here we are again.

The Armula Dorper stud will host their 22nd annual on-farm sale on Friday, 7 February 2025 at 1pm with 170 Dorper and white Dorper rams up for sale.