February 19th 2008
Contracted suppliers to the M&S supply programme tops 100
As we go into week 6 of supplying Highlander® and Primera® lambs into our M&S supply programme we are pleased to announce that more than 100 large-scale farm businesses have become suppliers into the programme.
This is a significant milestone for Rissington Breedline and our clients and further indicates the M&S lamb pledge has been well received by farmers looking for more certainty in their sheep operation. The M&S lamb pledge, which was a collaborative effort including Rissington Breedline and a farmer working group, was developed to ensure suppliers are paid a fair base price which is fixed for the season as well as an additional reward for good performance. As the schedules plummet many of those who have already signed the agreement are breathing a sigh of relief that they have been able to put a ring around their sheep operation and know they are going to come close to the forecasts they made at the start of the season.
If you want to be involved in this programme next year you must act now. Contact us today to order your Highlander® or Primera® rams to sire lambs for the 2008-2009 season.
Canterbury farmers blown away by Highlander® performance
Warren and Andrea Leslie, owners of Greenhill Farm, Cave, South Canterbury have been running Highlander® ewes for a number of years and continue to be impressed by the breeding performance of the Highlander® ewes and the yield of their Primera® sired lambs. For the full story click here.
With three generations now having operated Greenhill, the Leslies have had many decades to test which stock classes and breeds deliver the best performance on their 600ha property. Today they choose to run 7,500 stock units, of which 5,000 are commercial Highlander®. Warren says "We have been working closely with Rissington Breedline for a number of years now and are seeing fantastic results in both the breeding performance of our Highlander® ewes and the yield of the Primera® sired lambs".
Despite the woes of the industry, the Leslies purchased the neighbouring property 2 years ago to extend their sheep operation and remain positive about the future.
Warren and Andrea are Genetic Breeding Partners to Rissington Breedline and supply lambs into the M&S supply programme.
More profiles of our Genetic Breeding Partners can be found on our website.
2,400 Primera® dissected in the world's largest progeny test
When Rissington Breedline was just a dream, John Absolom knew that scale would be required to develop breeds that farmers could rely on year in year out. On February 3rd 2008, the world's largest progeny test once again got underway involving 2,400 Primera® lambs and a team of over 36 people.
Every year, no matter how tough times are, we invest a significant sum into the progeny test within the Primera breeding programme. It is a massive operation. 2,400 lambs have to be moved off farm, dissected and tracked throughout the entire testing process. The results are recorded in our database which houses over 1.3 million individual records. We do this because this is what is required to provide our clients with a genetic package that produces lambs with the uniformity and primal yield that enhances their bottom line.
All 2,400 progeny are tested for a number of carcase and meat quality characteristics. Results are then linked back to sire so we can choose just 40 of the 150 sires that will be kept for the elite breeding programme.
Aimee Charteris, Rissington Breedline's Geneticist says "The research and development that goes on behind the scenes can't be underrated. This is not about hit and miss. It is about thorough testing, sound data and hard work. The methodology we employ is one of a kind and offers exciting potential for the New Zealand lamb industry".
We would like to thank Horizon Farming Ltd and PPCS for their efforts shown over the last breeding season to ensure the success of the progeny test project. We look forward to working together in the future to continue to improve the quality of Rissington Breedline lamb.
