Intensive stud operation continues

01-01-2010 | Not Specified

One of the more intensive livestock policies retained by the Poultons is their ram-breeding operation. Always a point of discussion at previous Monitor Farm meetings due to its complexity and high labour requirements around tagging and other key recording times, the team at Wairiri has continued with the stud operation established by Mike's father Michael in the early days of performance recording and Massey University's Animalplan programme.

"Dad got into breeding Perendale rams to suit our steep country in the days of Massey University's Professor Peren," Mike says.

"We've continued with the stud and now produce a third Perendale, third Finn and third Texel cross rams for sale to ram clients and for our own use. We're running around 350 stud ewes, recorded with SIL (Sheep Improvement Ltd)."

Mike says these rams have boosted fertility and fecundity, improved lamb growth rates and carcase conformation, and provided a further degree of hardiness in their base Perendale flock. He considers the stabilised cross ideally suited to the steep high-altitude hills on Wairiri as well as the lower input sheep systems that many farmers are now moving towards out of necessity.

"The stud flock scanned 176% and tagged 160% this spring despite the cold, snowy weather," he says. "The ewes are lambed on the lower front country for ease of tagging after being run with the commercial ewes on the steep hills throughout the winter, and once we've tagged the lambs they're put back up on to the hills.

"We want a type of sheep that will perform under these conditions - something tough that will rear two good lambs on steep hills. The point of difference with these sheep is where they are being bred - you've really got to have a look at this country to fully appreciate its challenges. We're keen to grow this side of the business but also want to make sure the product - our rams - remains good."

Ten years on from its first days as a Monitor Farm, Wairiri is still a property with several challenges related to topography, climate and soil fertility on some areas of the farm. It also has some unique attributes. Wind and water are potentially valuable natural resources, and there may also be opportunities to establish tourism ventures on Wairiri, but this would require new skill sets, additional labour and a change of mindset away from keeping the main thing - sheep and beef cattle farming - the main thing.

"At the moment, for us and probably for a lot of other sheep and beef cattle farmers, it's about hanging in there with minimal inputs," Mike says. "We've got to keep doing the basics right and keep refining our management systems given our current level of inputs - fertiliser, labour and the like.

"We've also got to keep improving the genetic potential of our livestock to perform under these systems and be ready to take full advantage of the next good spell of farm returns."

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