Bellevue Dorpers have put a twist on Kevin Costner's theory

In Costner's celebrated 1989 movie Field Of Dreams, he was encouraged to carve a baseball diamond into a cornfield at the back of his homestead and the greats of yesteryear would descend and play the game of a lifetime.

In a not too dissimilar way the Curtises - David, Robbie and their daughter Sophie - believe producing the ultimate lamb carcase will win the hearts - and palates - of consumers.

And so it is.

Bellevue Dorpers has won numerous accolades but none more valuable than their success in the court of public opinion.

According to Brad Strudwick, one of the team leaders with Meat at Billy's which has butcheries in some of Brisbane most elite suburbs, he can barely meet customer demand for Bellevue Dorper lamb.

"We have been getting the lamb products from Bellevue for at least a year-and-a-half, probably closer to two years," Mr Strudwick said.

"It has been a really rewarding exercise. They provide good quality meat and it is far better getting it direct from the farmer rather than a wholesaler.

"When our relationship with Sophie and her parents began we were getting in 40 lambs a month, maybe even stretching it out to five weeks.

"Now we go through 55 lambs per fortnight and could take more. We have had customers buy 30 cutlets at a time and say how phenomenal they are, great tasting and full of flavour."

Sophie Curtis concedes there was some degree of happenstance to their association with butcher Billy Gibney, who wanted quality lamb for his shops in Rosalie and Ashgrove, and Bellevue was keen to "ground truth" their rams.

"Someone reached out to us through Instagram and I got in touch with Billy and things progressed from there," she said.

"It was back in 2019 and we were in the middle of drought and when he asked for lambs I had to say I'd get back in touch as soon as we had 40 ready to go because we wanted to ensure supply.

"I didn't want to start and then have a break because the conditions were against us but it worked out in the end and having an arrangement like this is wonderful.

"As a breeder we want to ensure that the rams we are breeding are producing prime lambs and to have this sort of access to market and the feedback we receive is fabulous.

"We speak with Brad all the time and we'll be discussing this and that - it's a fantastic relationship.

"They'll break up a lamb and throw a few chops on the barbecue to taste it and be assured they are happy with the quality.

"That's great feedback. I find so often that we are in the commodity market and selling bulk lamb and grain out the gate and don't have that feedback.

"For us as seedstock producers to have that feedback that lets us know our rams are producing prime lambs is priceless."

David Curtis insists each Bellevue ram they sell is a product of a breeding program which puts maximum emphasis on measuring and selecting for prime lamb needs of its commercial clients.

Optimum yields, early maturity and weight gain, enough fat for excellent eating quality and maternal traits, visual selection for structural correctness, quality, temperament and soundness are benchmarks.

"Carcase competition success backs up the fact that Bellevue's strict selection criteria is delivering a quality, high yielding, early maturing prime lamb," he said.

"At the 2019 Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) Bellevue received first and second in the Prime Lamb Carcase Competition for their entry in the Pen of Three Light Trade Lambs (18 to 21kg dressed weight category). These lambs came straight off their mothers who were grazing on dry grass in drought conditions".

But for Mr Strudwick and his boss Mr Gibney, it's more than numbers.

"When you get lambs from a big supplier they will often put through whatever they can get but we won't do that. There are lambs we wouldn't put out but that has never been the case with the product we get from the Curtises," Mr Strudwick said.

"We're getting dressed lambs anywhere between 24 to 28 kilograms.

"They are beautiful when they hang up. Their muscle and bone ratio is really good, so the yield is great. Even when you cut the cutlets the bones are thin rather than the thicker bones of older lambs. They have consistent fat coverage and from a butcher's perspective everything about them is good."

The proof is in the eating.