Longevity of Performance
The National flock has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, with Merinos now typically much plainer, faster growing, more fertile, and cutting heavier fleeces of finer wool. As a result, Australian ewes now generate far more meat and wool income over their lifetimes, and the growing demand for well-bred young Merino ewe replacements had also contributed to higher purchase prices.
THE National flock has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, with Merinos now typically much plainer, faster growing, more fertile, and cutting heavier fleeces of finer wool. As a result, Australian ewes now generate far more meat and wool income over their lifetimes, and the growing demand for well-bred young Merino ewe replacements has also contributed to higher purchase prices.
Woodyarrup Merino and Poll Merino stud principals Craig and Lachlan Dewar view well-bred Merinos as a real investment opportunity. But growers need to be selective when purchasing genetic packages to ensure a good return on their investment, with the longevity of dual-purpose performance a key consideration.
Woodyarrup Stud Technical consultant Paul Swan said it was becoming increasingly important for sheep producers to purchase genetics from studs who were dedicated to maximising the lifetime earning production of ewes in their breeding.
“When stud ewes pass longevity of performance down to the ram lambs, they, in turn, pass the trait to their daughters in commercial enterprises,” Dr Swan said.
“This gives growers more options to lift the standard of their flock by enabling them to cull ewe replacements more intensely and retain high-performing ewes for additional joining’s.
“Given tested maidens are now selling for well over $300 a head, commercial enterprises need to produce their own top-quality ewes for profitability and studs like Woodyarrup that can provide a genetic package to meet this objective.”
Breeding for the lifetime performance wasn’t just about breeding rams based on early lifetime data but also required studs to invest in recording the performance of stud ewes over their lifetimes, rather than culling them simply because they’d reached a certain age.
“Woodyarrup doesn’t cull stud breeding ewes based on their age because we want them to be having lambs and producing great quality wool when they are 6-8 years old,” Dr Swan said.
Woodyarrup doesn’t cull stud breeding ewes based on their age because we want them to be having lambs and producing great quality wool when they are 6-8 years old.
“Craig and Lachlan have been classing every sheep annually for many years and retaining older high-performing ewes, as it’s the only way to gather that data within the stud.
“While looking at the lifetime performance of every ewe and the longevity of their daughters is a huge investment in time, money and effort for Woodyarrup.
"It was once a long-term strategy that is now paying off for their clients.”
While most studs now used tools to aid selection, only a small percentage were real leaders in genetics with several decades of data under their belt to inform their decisions and back the performance of their rams.
“Due to the industry's structure, the majority of the genetic change to the national flock has been driven by a relatively small number of studs and outstanding sires and dams,” Dr Swan said.
“Woodyarrup are among the top Merino and Poll Merino Studs, having bred multiple national production leaders including 120175, 140149, 150329 and 171883, with each of these sires leaving his mark on the Australian flock.
“Craig and Lachlan have involved their rams in research trials to prove they are strong performers across many different environments and this data has also benefited the industry.
“But most importantly, they had the foresight all those years ago to start using genetic tools, invest in gathering data on their ewes as well as their rams and evaluate the information to improve their genetics, which is of huge value to their customers.”
If you are interested in securing leading genetics for your flock, contact Woodyarrup Merino and Poll Merino Stud Principal Craig on 0429 100 239. For more information visit our partner site: woodyarrup.com.au
Strategies for Improving your Flock
ADVANCEMENTS in genetic research and technology, coupled with strong competition between local and international markets for meat and wool, have led to greater productivity and profitability for Australian producers. However, Woodyarrup Merino and Poll Merino Stud Technical Consultant Dr Paul Swan warned that maintaining the same momentum when it came to genetic improvement was becoming increasingly challenging.
ADVANCEMENTS in genetic research and technology, coupled with strong competition between local and international markets for meat and wool, have led to greater productivity and profitability for Australian producers.
However, Woodyarrup Merino and Poll Merino Stud Technical Consultant Dr Paul Swan warned that maintaining the same momentum when it came to genetic improvement was becoming increasingly challenging. And with proven maiden ewes selling for over $300 a head, farmers needed to be more vigilant than ever when selecting rams to support a self-sustaining flock.
“There have been some dramatic changes to the Australian flock over the past 20 years with the meat and wool industries successfully squeezing more from every sheep,” Dr Swan said.
“Merinos are now bigger, they grow faster, produce more lambs, and have softer and heavier cutting wool.
“Leading studs like Woodyarrup have driven this change by producing influential rams through careful selection, heavy investment into genetic technologies and participation in extensive research over many years.”
While this change was a great success story for the industry, Dr Swan said to stay ahead of rising production costs, growers needed to look for trait leaders with the makeup and genetics they require to achieve their long-term goals.
“Woodyarrup is an open book and provides growers with all the information they need to make the right decisions including raw data, research findings that prove their rams can perform across many environments and opportunities for visual assessment.”
“Importantly, they also provide consultants like me to assist their customers in understanding the tools, developing strategies, and identifying specific rams that will most suit their needs.
“This level of support is invaluable to growers as although there are many tools available to help them find the best genes for their enterprise, many of these are highly complex and not entirely practical.”
Dr Swan encouraged farmers to determine the direction they wanted to take with their sheep, seek assistance from livestock reps to pinpoint which traits needed fixing, and reach out to Woodyarrup for support in identifying the best genetics to improve their flock.
“It is in Woodyarrup’s best interest to ensure their customers get good results and feel confident in their purchases. Otherwise, all the effort and investment would be wasted,” Dr Swan said.
“I encourage growers who want to increase sheep profitability and sustain it in the long term to attend the open day, book a private viewing or pick up the phone, so we can help them get where they want to go.”
If you are interested in securing leading genetics for your flock, contact Woodyarrup Merino and Poll Merino Stud Principal Craig on 0429 100 239. For more information visit our partner site: woodyarrup.com.au
Nutritional Deficiencies: the Silent Killer of Production
While fat score provides some indication of overall condition in sheep, nutritional deficiencies are a silently killer of production and the performance of future progeny, with absorption difficult to measure or predict. Broomehill Stockfeeds pellets offer a well-balanced and complete feed option, to help prevent deficiencies and simplify sheep nutrition.
FAILING to provide a balanced diet to sheep, even temporarily, can prevent them from realising their genetic potential and have a devastating impact on profits both in the short and long-term.
Woodyarrup Stud and Broomehill Stockfeeds Principal Craig Dewar said while fat score provides some indication of overall condition, nutritional deficiencies are a silently killer of production and the performance of future progeny, with absorption difficult to measure or predict.
“Many farmers see supplementary feeding as an expense, but it is an investment into higher lambing percentages, better quality wool and healthier sheep,” Craig said.
“Proper nutrition during pregnancy is particularly important considering the ewe’s condition will impact her lamb’s wool quality and production for its lifetime.
“Investing in quality rams isn’t much use if the entire flock isn’t supported by good nutrition, as this guarantees those genes are put to good use.”
Lupins are often favoured as a good source of protein, with high energy content, high fibre, and low starch. However, even lupins have limitations, including low sulphur content, which put sheep at risk of deficiencies if not carefully balanced with mineral supplements.
“Sheep nutrition can be quite complicated, and we’ve always considered feeding grains too risky, as there is a lot of margin for error,”
“Sheep can get crafty when it comes to avoiding certain components in feed, so even adding a mineral supplement isn’t a foolproof solution and deficiencies may not become obvious until the losses are already felt.
“We’ve always preferred pellets because they offer a well-balanced and complete feed, but we were never overly impressed with the options on the market because most contained false protein like urea, excessive bulk roughage and the quality was inconsistent.”
Broomehill Stockfeeds pellets were developed under the guidance of sheep nutrition expert John Milton and contain only the highest quality ingredients in well-balanced rations. These include 100% true protein, buffers to optimise rumen environment for productivity and acidosis prevention, and a mix of premium vitamins and minerals.
“As farmers, we appreciate how frustrating it is when the quality is poor or inconsistent, so we use top ingredients and take great care to avoid excessive quantities of bulky roughage, which maximises the value and subsequent returns per tonne for our customers,“ Craig said.
“We’ve noticed some substantial changes to our flock since feeding Broomehill Stockfeeds pellets including more consistency in the staple profile of our wool, increased conception rates and healthier sheep overall.
“And by combining paddock and semi-confinement feeding we also get more out of our pasture paddocks and leftover cereals.
“Our customers have reported similar results including more effective ewe maintenance, faster lamb weight gains and overall healthier sheep, and find the pellets a highly convenient option as they can be fed in the paddock or in a feedlot.”
For more information about Broomehill Stockfeeds’ Premium Pellets or to order, call Craig on 0429 100 239.