December 22nd 2008

Ngaio Downs achieves 3% increase in yield on 87 day lambs

Article written with the support of Simon Todhunter, Ngaio Downs, Marlborough

Simon Todhunter will go into the new year satisfied that his early lambs achieved outstanding results. This year was the first time Ngaio Downs had been in a position to do a pre-weaning draught and the yield results proved it was a smart decision. The 36kg Primera® lambs draughted off to be processed on November 20 returned an impressive 48.5% yield.

"I knew we were on the right track when I saw how blown away our draughter was. These lambs don't look that big but when you get them on the scales they weigh a lot more. They were like little bricks." said Todhunter.

Traditionally Ngaio Downs would expect to yield 45-46% on their native medium-steep hill country at Kekerengu, Marlborough so this year's results provided much reassurance they were on the right track to improving productivity. Todhunter attributes 2% of the 3% gain in yield to the Primera® and Highlander® genetics they have employed. "Admittedly we weren't 100% certain initially but we've now seen the genetics come into their own. I'm of the opinion that a Primera® over Highlander®, or any maternal, will give you a brilliant lamb."

The impact of growing lambs at 400gm/day and getting them away early (they were 87 days on November 20) was significant for Ngaio Downs and has taken the pressure off with pasture already starting to dry off.

Ngaio Downs is a family farm operated by Simon Todhunter, his father Bob and lease-farm Stock Manager Chris O'Carroll. It is a 1700ha medium-steep hill country operation, including 600ha of leased land, at Kekerengu in Marborough. It hosts 6,500 Highlander® and Highlander® cross ewes, Primera®, cows & calves and steers through winter for fattening.

Predictability key to speeding up performance gains
Article supplied by John Absolom, Rissington Breedline Cattle Director

The challenge in increasing the performance of cattle is that it has always been hindered by the slow generation turnover that exists. This coupled with the continuing rise in farm input costs places farmers are under more pressure than before to getter a better performance out of their cow herd.

I believe the key is predictability and offer this advice in choosing your breeder:

1. Pick a breeder who has been doing it for a long time. The longer they have done it, the more predictable it will have become and the more background work you inherit.
2. Question them on the scale & selection pressure they place on their herd. You can liken this to a rugby team - if you were the selector, would you select from a large base such as the region of Auckland or limit yourself to Poverty Bay? The more players you have to choose from, the greater selection pressure, the better the team.
3. Understand whether or not the breeder uses AI and to what extent. AI can significantly speed up the genetic gains in a herd as the very best genetics are available in larger quantities.
4. Make sure your breeder's objectives align with yours. The simple message in cattle breeding is often lost in the complexity of many sheep & beef operations. The key question to answer for yourself first is - what role does my cow herd have? If your answer doesn't fit with the breeding objective of your breeder then you will struggle to achieve your goals.

As breeders, Rissington Breedline produce cattle to fit in whatever environment they find themselves in and emphasise reproductive efficiency as well as fast growth and carcass quality. We have been able to do this marrying 72 years of experience with innovative practices such as AI.

The bulls that we will be using over the next few years in our AI programme will be the top out of 1,000, who have firstly been at the top for all the normal productive traits, but have also excelled in our feed efficiency trials. The huge differences found in these bulls has highlighted what gains can be made by drawing on this moderately heritable trait.

In simple terms the top sires have proven themselves to convert approximately 7kg of feed to put on 1.25kg per day. The average bull needs double the amount of feed to gain the same amount.

This is a significant difference and we are looking forward with eager anticipation to passing on these gains to our valued clients.

For more information on Rissington Breedline's cattle programmes click here.

Ever feel like someone is watching you?
Article supplied by Ben Absolom, Genetic Breeding Partner

I had a feeling this last week when I was bringing a mob of ewes in for weaning that something was up as the office team followed me into the yards. I was pretty tempted to show them the cattle prodder so they'd leave me to it but I guess that's the reality of having the Rissington Breedline office in the middle of my commercial farming operation. Click here for the full story.

Naturally I did a quick scan of the mob and to my relief the quantity and quality of lambs were spot on. In fact in-the-thick-of-it was a 6T Highlander® ewe I purchased with 2 thumping great Primera® lambs.

The boys were quick to single her out as well and we found she weighed 56.5 kg and each the lambs came in at 41kg and 43kg respectively. While she was the pick of the mob, overall we have had a pretty good year and the efficiency of our ewes is ensuring Rissington Station continues to be a viable commercial operation.

Alastair went straight back to the office to punch in the weights into a feed requirements model and came back boasting that this ewe and her lambs were eating 924kgDM annually. Considering she had just weaned about $190 of lamb that equates to $0.20/kgDM - not a bad return, I'm happy with that.

I've included a photograph below so you can see her for yourself.

 

Our Genetic Breeding Partners are fundamental to the quality of the genetics on offer to you. By breeding and growing out our genetic stock in leading commercial environments nationwide, we ensure their performance is monitored on a daily basis in a real world environment, just like your farm. To read more about Ben and our other Genetic Breeding Partners click here.

Cause for optimism in the new year
Message supplied by Jeremy Absolom, Rissington Breedline CEO

This Christmas we'll all reflect on another tough year just gone and while the global business environment looks a little ugly there is some cause for optimism given the food sector outlook. This year I have had the opportunity for varying reasons both here and overseas to discuss ideas with people across the primary sector and it seems the themes are very much the same whether it be seafood, poultry, forestry or the pastoral sector as many search to find a more sustainable model: Click here to for the 2 key common beliefs shared.

1. Know your cost of production

What does it cost to produce a Kg of lamb to say 18kg CW and what happens (sensitivity) to that cost per Kg if your input costs rise or fall or your output/productivity improves or gets worse?

2. Know who your customers are

If you're leaving this job to an intermediary or you are part of a group make sure they are able to manage both 1 & 2.

We spend a lot of time trying to do this inside our business alongside the many partners we have in the supply chain which starts with the ram and the bull and while we don't get it right every time, we know we are improving each year. We also know our business relies 100% on our clients and partners enjoying doing business with us and being better off for it so thank you to all those who have worked with us this year and we look forward to continuing working with you again in 2009.

Finally from all of us in the team at Rissington Breedline have a safe and happy Christmas, I am sure a well deserved break with your family and friends.

Jeremy Absolom  

Ngaio Downs achieves 3% increase in yield on 87 day lambs