Stonyhurst is a 3000ha coastal property in North Canterbury, family run since 1850. There are 9500-10,000 ewes, plus replacements, 450 Angus breeding cows, and 400 breeding hinds. All progeny are finished on the farm.

Footrot has been a challenge for the property for over 100 years and has been a constant work in progress, but work done collaboratively in the past 10 years has taken this “challenge” to a whole new level of understanding and progression.

Home of the SX Nucleus flock, Stonyhurst has been involved since the inception of the first breeding program in March 2013.

All livestock are electronically tagged (EID), which has allowed Stonyhurst to build a valuable database of information about individual animals, dating as far back as 2008.

Stonyhurst sheep are fine to mid-micron; stabilized half breeds (historically of Merino crossed with the long-woolled Lincoln).

At Stonyhurst they are proud of what their forefathers have achieved. The farm boasts over 200ha of native bush, which is fenced and has been allowed to regenerate for several decades. The Douglas-Clifford family have an ongoing planting and protection programme in place that will ensure the land will continue to improve for future generations.

In 2017 Stonyhurst won the Ballance Farm Environment Awards supreme award for Canterbury.