When it comes to sheep production, the bottom line is significantly impacted by, of all things, sheep reproduction.
And that’s where the Northern Mallee Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) and Agriculture Victoria livestock extension officer Erica Schelfhorst comes in.
Helping northwest Victorian producers achieve better lambing percentages to achieve better bottom lines.
Erica says the group recently staged a workshop on ewe requirements, and assessing feed on offer for pregnancy management, at Nowingi, about 50km south of Mildura.
The project is in the first of its three years, but the participating farms have agreed their goal is to boost their numbers of lambs weaned by 5-10 per cent.
“Five farms are hosting a demonstration in the first year with three of the farms pursuing the ram effect, and the other two farms looking at reducing the size of their mobs with twin-bearing ewes,” Erica says.
“It’s still early days but we are hoping by trialling, and potentially introducing, various measures we can have a positive outcome on lamb numbers.
“At the same time, participation in the producer demonstration site is open to any interested farmer because the more people who get involved, the easier it is to spread the message about what works – and what doesn’t.”
Erica has been involved with the group since its inception in 2022, just in time for joining, with the first lambs on the five farms due from April on.
“The group three host farms are initially targeting the ram effect by using testosterone-treated wethers as teasers to induce the ewes to cycle before the rams are placed with the females,” she says.
“This will maximise the working capacity of their rams and it should increase conception given the joining time.”
Two host farms are planning to run fewer twin-bearing ewes per paddock after scanning has identified those carrying multiple lambs.
“The group with the plans for results from the smaller mobs are looking for a couple of outcomes,” she says.
“Firstly, by giving the twin-bearing ewes the space to allow for that vital first six to twelve hours the ewe needs to bond with its offspring and to stay with the lamb/s.
“Secondly, at the same time it helps protect lambs from mis-mothering in crowded paddocks from other ewes.
“That’s this year, they will probably look at doing something different next year and the year after, all the while comparing notes with the other group members.
“All host three farms in this group have agreed to trial at least one mob or they can commit 100 per cent of their breeders to this exercise.”
The workshop near Mildura gave participants presentations on a series of topics, including: Ewe feed requirements; Assessing ewe body condition; Pregnancy scanning benefits; Feed on offer assessment; Livestock feeding tools; Flood and storm support available.
As a technical specialist veteran of the sheep extension industry, Erica has run producer demonstration groups across the centre and northwest of the state as well as delivering the Best Wool/Best Lamb program within her region.
She also delivered nutrition and feeding workshops across the Mallee and north west during the 2019 drought, so she knows the area well.
“Last year Agriculture Victoria wrapped up a dozen producer demonstration sites, I was also involved with a group at Boort where we were checking on the welfare of sheep at lambing using drones,” Erica says.
“The biggest difference when you compare it with say central Victoria, is a lot of the sheep producers are also croppers, probably mostly croppers, so they run much bigger paddocks in what really is much bigger country to grow as much crop as possible,” she says.
“That doesn’t necessarily leave specialist paddocks to separately manage sheep according to their pregnancy status.
“All the growers we are working with in this trial have different levels of sheep experience – some are newer, some have previously had cattle but have switched to sheep in the past two years, and that is why we are going through every step in the sheep’s reproductive cycle.”
And while their business profiles are primarily cropping, sheep have been making a comeback to these traditional grazing areas through a gradual reintroduction of wool and crossbred varieties.
“We have pure Merino flocks and crossbred prime lamb enterprises so any producer will fit in, but what we do aim for with each host farmer is to have a control ‘normal practice’ group and the trial ‘new’ group,” she says.
“In the end, this is a demonstration group, not a formal research project. We are here to guide the producers with practical information, assistance and support, which is why we are happy to have more farmers join. Then hopefully those who go through the three years will spread the word to friends, neighbours and peers about what they got out of the project.”
For more details or to join the trials, contact Erica at Erica.Schelfhorst@agriculture.vic.gov.au
Further information about this project and other sheep projects is available at Farming systems demonstrations program | Funds, grants and programs | Support and resources | Agriculture Victoria and More Northern Mallee Lambs on the Ground | Meat & Livestock Australia (mla.com.au)
