The pioneering Romney farmer has lifted his lambing from 90% to 150% in the mixed age flock over about 30 years.

Rutherfurd, 70, farms 480ha of what he describes as “reasonably easy hills to steep” in the Pohangina Valley, north east of Palmerston North.

The 1700 ewe flock comprises 1500 Romneys and 200 Perendale ewes that are grazed on the steep country, that is even too rugged for cattle.

Rutherfurd says the Perendales do pretty well recording about 120% at docking, considering they aren’t shepherded and spend most of their lives grazing sheer drops. He says the hardest part is mustering them off.

Most of the farm can be mustered by motorbike from a network of well-established tracks running along ridges, but there are some places Rutherfurd says he prefers to walk.

The commercially-run Romney flock has been developed with genetics from the Central Districts Romney Group that was first established in 1969 to lift the productivity of Romney flocks.

Lambing problems on his property weren’t helped by farming steep country. So his then farm adviser, the late Rusty Firth, told him lambing had to be made easier and percentages improved.

A group of farmers met and formed a central Romney flock, which was to form the basis for the improved genetics.

Rutherfurd says for ewes to be eligible for the central flock they had to twin twice (as two-tooth’s and four-tooth’s) and have unassisted lambing. That flock went onto a Woodville farm as the central flock in the early 1970s.

“One year I only had one eligible ewe,” says Rutherfurd.

Ewe numbers for the central flock were calculated by the number of rams needed by farmers in the group.

To start with small increases of about 1% in lambing were gained and Rutherfurd says it was a lot of work with little result, before the benefits began to snowball.

About five years after the first flock of development ewes was established, Rutherfurd says a second one was developed and the two merged.

He says the development group has been “our saviour”.

“It’s bred sheep suitable for our country with good productivity.”

Farmers from Taihape and south to Wairarapa are benefiting from the development group that now supplies rams for between 30,000-40,000 ewes.

Because of the improved genetics Rutherfurd says he’s now recording 150% at docking in the older ewe flock and 140% from two-tooth’s with good survival rates.

He attributes the rise in lambing to the Romney group genetics.

But a loss of lambs between conception and docking is the next area Rutherfurd will be investigating.

He scans the two-tooth flock, last year recording 193%, and he intends to find out where the losses are happening this season.

“I’ll assess how I can get more lambs on the ground.”

He suspects most of the losses will be at lambing, through exposure and mis-mothering, because he doesn’t shepherd except for bearings and cast ewes, every second day.

The rams are put out on the last working day in March, but Rutherfurd is considering looking at moving the date back so more feed is available. As for bad weather, he says it comes down to luck. Lambing begins at the end of August.

Snow does fall on the high country of the property, but not as much as it used to, because of the warming climate, says Rutherfurd. Snow has been known to fall in September and rough weather traditionally hits at the end of August and September.

Most of the lambs are born in September and docking begins at the end of the month.

The Romneys are shorn twice. At the end of October/early November (to help prevent fly strike problems) and again in March before the ram goes out.

Rutherfurd says he considers wool an important part of sheep farming and when selecting rams, he looks for a reasonable fleece weight. But he says as sheep become more productive, black fibres on the neck and head are a growing problem, in the national flock.

He says it’s an issue farmers need to keep an eye on.

A good fleece, he says, has no black spots, no break down the back and a reasonable fibre with good crimp.

Lambs are weaned the first week in December and then the ewes are culled.

Five-year-old ewes with low mouths or bad feet are sold, although the market isn’t as strong as it once was. Selling them depends on the price. If the market price is similar to what he would get sending them for processing, Rutherfurd says he keeps the old ewes for another year. He usually sells about 120.

Lambs are drenched at weaning and carried until February. The bulk of the ram lambs are sold in April to processors. The tail end of the lamb crop is sold at auction.

Rutherfurd winters 700 ewe lambs that are shorn in September and culled. Anything with black spots or other faults are sold. By early in the year, the cull ewes have been sold and the number of two-tooths as replacements is known. The balance is sold on as two-tooth’s at the Feilding sale or privately.

Fly strike can be a problem, but he uses chemicals to help fight it. At their second drench, lambs are dipped or jetted for fly and lice.

Lambs are drenched once a month but the ewes aren’t drenched at all. Rutherfurd says it’s not necessary to drench. If ewes don’t develop immunity to worms, they are culled.

But he says it is important to look after the lambs because ewes can cope with worm burdens better. He says if they can’t cope it’s a matter of natural selection.

Although facial eczema wasn’t a problem this year, Rutherfurd says it’s something he keeps an active eye out for. He says in some cases ewes have had no clinical signs of facial eczema it but have liver damage.

He monitors spore counts and if a season shapes up to be a serious one for facial eczema he’ll drench for it.

Hoggets aren’t lambed on Rutherfurd’s farm mainly because it’s too steep. He currently runs the hoggets on the steeper hill country but one day he says hoggets will no doubt be lambed on the property as it’s developed by future owners.

The sheep live off grass during winter. Before lambing the ewes are set stocked and hoggets “squeezed up” to allow more room for lambing ewes. But Rutherfurd says if the hoggets lose condition they are given more room to graze, which is usually progressive during winter. On the steeper country he says it’s best to let the flock sort itself out and not apply unnecessary pressure.

The Perendale flock is shorn once a year, because Rutherfurd says they are active sheep and don’t grow as much wool as Romneys.

The Perendales graze three paddocks, overlooking creeks and gorges, paddocks that are never home to cattle because they are too steep. But Rutherfurd says the Perendale ewes record 120% lambing in these paddocks.

Perendales are used because it’s difficult to maintain pasture quality on the steep country. He says Romney’s wouldn’t hack it, especially with high lambing percentages. The aim is to keep the Perendales as a productive flock. They are mated at the same time as the Romney’s but to a Perendale ram and are there to do a job.

Once the Perendale lambs are weaned they are run with the Romney lambs.

Nearly all of a 480ha (450ha effective) Manawatu farm is too steep to regrass, but pasture quality is encouraged by a fertiliser programme.

Trucks spread on the flat ground and aeroplanes topdress the hills.

About 120 tonnes of reactive phosphate rock are spread on the flats and 120 tonnes of lime on the hills. Lime is spread on the hills at 1235kg/ha (0.5 tonne/acre) and the flats are dressed with 2470kg/ha (1 tonne/acre). Superphosphate is applied at 617.5kg/ha (250kg/acre) over the entire farm annually and every second year the flats receive an extra 617.5kg/ha (250kg/acre).

He says the lime is used to counteract naturally high aluminium content, which suppresses clover growth. Lime neutralises the aluminium.

Rutherfurd says the aluminium is associated with volcanic soils. He says his farm has a sediment soil from the previously very active central plateau. He says the volcanic runoff flowed down into the sea, and Rutherfurd’s property Komako, used to be submersed. When it rose up, the land contained volcanic sediment. Lime applications vary between 80 and 120 tonnes depending on finances available.

Soil tests are conducted every second year for phosphate content and pH. Last year pH was measured at 5.6-6.0.

This year Rutherfurd produced 168kg of meat and fibre/ha, up 13.5% on last year and recorded a gross farm income of $654/ha.

A company owns the property and one “permanent casual” staff member Trevor Christensen is employed. Rutherfurd says Christensen does most of the jobs and has been there “a very long time.”

But one thing is certain, he has no plans to retire. Rutherfurd says he enjoys farming and is good at it. It provides an income and while he can still drive he has no intention of putting away the gumboots.