Source: New South Wales Department of Primary Industries
30 Oct 2024
The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) Cowra Agricultural Research and Advisory Station has experienced one of its most successful breeding seasons to date.
Building on six years of strong lamb marking and weaning results, this year’s success can be largely attributed to flock and pasture management despite the slow early winter pasture growth and the cold, wet and windy winter conditions experienced in late June and early July. It was also enhanced by tactical use of forage crops and optimal use of pregnancy scanning data.
This year’s lamb marking results for the Merino flock at the research station have been nothing short of exceptional, with lamb marking rates between 130% and 140% per ewe joined.
This impressive performance is well above the national lamb marking average of 90% for Merinos, which can vary significantly due to local conditions such as; cold temperatures, wet conditions, windy weather or drought.
NSW DPIRD Livestock Systems Senior Research Scientist Dr Gordon Refshauge said the excellent results showcase the effectiveness of the ongoing research and management practices implemented by the Department’s research team.
“The Cowra Agricultural Research and Advisory Station staff’s dedictation and expertise are driving performance well above the industry average, ” Dr Refshauge said.
“Staff categorised pregnant ewes into groups based on litter size of singles, twins, and multiples and provided feed quality and quantity tailored to each group’s specific needs.
“The combination of these strategic practices, alongside a healthy and well-managed flock, led to a successful lambing season, showcasing the Station’s commitment to maximising lambing potential.”
This season, the Station’s flock exhibited lower pregnancy rates than normal but also an unusually high number of triplets and quadruplets.
Dr Refshauge said this unusual occurence can be attributed to the ewes being in excellent condition prior to mating and continuing to gain weight during the mating period.
“Due to limited pasture growth, and high feed demands, the ewes were placed in their lambing paddocks earlier than usual, after finishing grazing mixed species forage crops or dual-purpose canola,” Dr Refshauge said.
“These pre-lambing management decisions were critical for lambing, as pastures had been rested from grazing for 4 – 6 weeks prior to the commencement of lambing and the ewes were in the right body condition for lambing.
“By integrating these precision management strategies with optimal feeding practices, we’ve exceeded our lambing goals for 2024, showcasing the capability of our flock and team and hoping to continue this for years to come.”
For more information on the NSW DPIRD Cowra Agricultural Institute, please visit our website
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