Ron and Cheryl Blyth are running 10,000 Merino sheep including 4000 ewes on their 4000ha aggregation based at “Bobacumbola”, south of Gundagai, and Mr Blyth is determined to to breed an ‘easy-care’ sheep to reduce his workload and increase his profitability.
More importantly, he firmly believes our Australian wool clip is at risk in important markets if we continue to mules our Merino sheep.
“I do believe in the long-term sustainability of farming, but we are going to lose valuable sales if we continue on our present direction,” he said.
“The processing quality of our clip has to be improved and we have to get away from the need to mules.”
Mr Blyth said we have the genetic capability of breeding a Merino sheep to avoid the need to mules, and it is important the world is told about it.
“The Merino that is specially selected to avoid mulesing has a bare breech and no wrinkle,” he said.
“The right skin to achieve this outcome can also carry beautifully white wool, with a long bold crimping staple and process into the most prestigious garments that can be worn next to the skin or as an outer garment.”
Mr Blyth said the wool has to be soft, no matter the micron measurement, and he is breeding Merinos producing elite, deep-crimped and beautifully nourished wool to prove his point.
“Our wool is white and bright with small sweat glands, combined with no wrinkle, they dry out quickly so are less likely to attract blowflies, and we have an average Comfort Factor (CF) of 99.5 across our entire flock,” he said.
“And because we are also selecting for body shape and fat cover, we are producing a carcase for the meat trade and our lamb suitability is increased because of their better fat cover and eye muscle depth when born.
“The square ‘meaty’ sheep has a big wide chest with a flat wide back and filled with reserves of meat and fat.
““Our lambing percentage is very high at 130 percent of ewes joined, and most lambs survive due to the inherited meat and fat cover.”
To achieve his aim of increased production, high lambing and survival rates, and to eliminate the need to mules his sheep, Mr Blyth has been selecting thin-skinned, wrinkle free sheep to the point where he now has a select group of stud ewes, from which he breeds his replacement sires and sale rams, with the traits he said are essential if he is going to stay in business as a sheep producer.
Last season Mr Blyth said he had a maiden ewe drop triplets, late on a Saturday afternoon in early August.
Over night the farm received 32mm of rain, and after church on Sunday he went and checked on the ewe, miraculously all three lambs were still alive.
At scanning time all three lambs came up with above average fat and muscle figures.
“I put their survival down to the great fat and muscle in my sheep,” Mr Blyth said.
The bottom line, according to Mr Blyth is a modified Merino which is proof of the slogan he and the late John Pike chose many years ago … “Tomorrow’s Sheep Today”.
“The end result is no mulesing, so no pain to the lamb and the animal rights people are happy and less cost of production because it is one less job to do,” he said.
“We are also growing better processing wool which is bringing strong inquiry for direct supply to the processor so there is a greater return and with more lambs weaned, we have more surplus sheep to sell.”
Overall, Mr Blyth said, we can breed a Merino that promises Merino breeders of the world a sheep which will compete with any other sheep per DSE, in gross returns.
“It is about making more money from the same DSE, easier,” he said.
