THE Monaro sheep industry has traditionally been based on Merino ewes. With the uncertainty of the wool industry, buoyancy in the meat industry and price of sheep in general, and integration of cropping and grazing, there is an opportunity to rethink how the ewe can be used.
Monaro Farming Systems has been actively working on a project to assist sheep owners on the Monaro make decisions about the most profitable use of breeding ewes.
In general, there are four different joinings currently practised in the region;
1. Merino to Merino (traditional self-replacing merino flock).
2. Merino to Border Leister (or other for the production of first cross lambs).
3. Merino to a terminal.
4. First cross ewe to a terminal sire.
The main questions which MFS is aiming to examine with the Monaro Mums project are:
• What are the true differences between the sheep enterprises?
• Is the current model of running a Self Replacing Merino Flock (SRMF) the best model from a business point of view?
• What is the contribution of the Merino ewe to the flock’s potential from a financial perspective?
On-farm, systems trials to quantify meat production systems and identify key benchmarks for profitable wool and meat production can be extremely useful, but the disadvantages are the long lag time for results and the cost and resources to set up.
MFS believes the first step in this process is the use of decision support tools such as “GrassGro Modelling” to allow this complex issue to be looked at in a logical fashion.
The GrassGro(r) model combines both production and financial factors and has the capacity to conduct comparative analysis of the different ewe enterprises which can show impacts on the farm business from changing enterprises or shifting emphasis between enterprises.
This unique tool can show producers the impacts certain decisions will have on their business profitability long-term before committing resources, therefore enabling well informed business choices based on sound risk management principles and economic analysis.
NSW Industry & Investment has initiated work in this area and come up with preliminary findings which indicate “there was no stand out enterprise based on profit per ha.
More detailed work within enterprises showed that the range within an enterprise due to changes in genetics or replacement costs were far greater than the differences between enterprises.
The risks associated with changing an enterprise are greater than from improving an existing one.
To explore this whole issue further, MFS are hosting the first Monaro Mums activity to be held in Nimmitabel next Friday afternoon, May 14.
Speakers include Phil Graham and Doug Alcock (Technical Specialists of Grazing Systems, NSW Industry & Investment), David Sackett (CEO Growth Farms Australia) and Hamish Dickson (Productive Nutrition, SA).
The afternoon will focus on “what is the future role of the ewe on the Monaro” by critically looking at strategies to make the choice between ewe enterprises from a profitability perspective and to examine profit drivers within current ewe enterprises.
Speakers will present practical strategies as well as demonstrate the use of GrassGro to model specific Monaro farm systems (generated from pasture and soil data for the Monaro environment) all aimed at helping producers get the most out of their “Monaro Mums”.
For further information regarding the Monaro Mums afternoon please contact the MFS project officer Nancy Spoljaric at MFS Office on 02 6458 4946 or 0428 516 297, or by email to nancy@msanda.com.au.
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