Looking down the meat production-line to what local butchers and the end customer wants, is proving to be a vital ingredient in the selection of White Suffolk rams for a Lockhart sheep operation.
Trent and Regina Gooden, “Yirdeen”, Lockhart, near Wagga, began sourcing White Suffolk rams sixteen years ago, to join to 600 “Yirdeen” bred, first-cross Merino Border Leicester ewes.
Operating 1200 hectares, the mixed farming enterprise also includes 650 Merino ewes, joined to Border Leicester rams, and in 2015, 2500 White Suffolk-cross lambs were out-sourced and entered the “Yirdeen” on-farm feedlot program.
Selecting rams from Almondvale White Suffolk stud, Urana, because of their adaptability to the Riverina’s climate conditions, Mr Gooden said the rams always present and perform.
“We choose Almondvale rams because they are clean around all the points and they always present fantastically - the growth rate they offer is exceptional and yields are about at 50 percent with offspring,” he said.
“They have great muscle, good body shape and body weight – to us we can’t find any better rams other then what he has on offer each year.”
Annually, Mr Gooden is turning over 800 second-cross lambs, of which about 60 percent are marketed as suckers, with the remaining percentage grown out to 32 kilograms for the domestic export market.
To reach these target markets, the Gooden’s have a critical eye for a number of Estimated Breeding Values (EBV’s), however one factor which is never compromised is the selection of only twin White Suffolk rams.
“We will only buy rams from twins as this gives a higher chance of producing multiple conceptions in our first-cross ewes,” Mr Gooden said.
“We look for eye muscle area and fat depth - also the ram’s date of birth and post weaning dates, right through to sale date weight gain,” he said.
“We are generally among the highest bidders at Almondvale ram sales - I do not blink an eye at spending a couple of thousand dollars on a solid ram, as we see the results in our lambs.”
Joining first-cross ewes in November, at a ratio of 2.5 percent, lambing begins at the start of April, with the second-cross ewe lambs also retained and joined at seven- months-of-age.
Mr Gooden said only the most recent rams purchased prior to that season’s joining are used, to ensure the “freshest genetics are put straight into the mob.”
This is not the only management tool to reach optimal production at “Yirdeen”, with Fabstock feed supplement integrated into the ewes nutrition 4-6 weeks prior and during joining.
White Suffolk rams are also given a ram booster supplement prior to entering the ewe mob.
Mr Gooden said since implementing the supplement nutrition program, he has recorded a large increase in multiple conceptions.
“Although we haven’t marked lambs for 2016, since using the product, we have recorded 49 percent multiples in ewe lambs and 3.5 percent dry,” he said.
First-cross ewes generally lamb at 140 percent, with ewe lambs at about 115-120 percent, given they are younger in age at the time of joining.
Depending on the season, second-cross lambs are weaned at 14-16 weeks-of-age until about a 25kg dressed weight and sold to JBS Australia, Cobram.
“We choose these markets because the dressed rate is at 49 percent and we are seeing the return on our product,” Mr Gooden said.
The sourced White Suffolk-cross lambs are brought into the on-farm feedlot at 35kgs, and retained for 3-4 months to about 65-70kg live weight.
Hoping to increase his lamb trading enterprise, in 2016, Mr Gooden is aiming to buy in 3500 White Suffolk-cross lambs, which will head for JBS Australia and Australian Meat Group.
“We chose White Suffolk- cross lambs for the feedlot because they yield and their sound structure and presentation,” he said.
Saying the breed has remained competitive in the industry at large, Mr Gooden believes it’s important to reflect on how the sheep industry has changed over the past ten years.
“It’s a credit to the studs, not just White Suffolk breeders, it used to take anywhere up to twelve months to reach target weights and now we are finishing them at seven months,” he said.
“If breeders’ could get a bit more length in our White Suffolk rams, then we can get more ribs and this translates into more loins and cutlets, which are what the butchers and customers want.”
