AUSTRALIAN Whites are the perfect low maintenance, quick growing, high yielding sheep for Tony and Dawn Schiller, at "Yarralumla", Harefield near Wagga Wagga.
The Schillers run about 600 first- and second-cross Aussie Whites and up to 100 cattle on about 400 hectares.
Their journey to Aussie Whites started with Dorpers, after many years with Merinos and first-cross ewes.
“I had a neighbour who had a few Dorpers and so I bought some from him and all my lambs go through the Junee abattoir,” Mr Schiller said.
“One of the blokes who worked there suggested I try an Aussie White ram over them.”
He purchased twin rams from Malcolm and Kerrie Plum at Kalnari stud, Tarcutta, five years ago.
“Their lambs from the Dorper ewes were magnificent – they were much bigger and stronger than the Dorpers, so I was quite shocked. The meat was excellent and the lambs were born smaller but they grew unbelievably, dressing at 28 or 29 kilograms at five months.”
That quick turn off is paying off, with the lambs making between $125 and $145 a head with little inputs.
The decision to go into shedding sheep has meant less work for Mr Schiller, a second generation woolgrower.
“At the time I bought the Dorpers, then the Aussie Whites, I didn't have many people to help me and it was getting tougher to get shearers and shed hands.”
Mr Schiller sources all his genetics from Kalnari.
“I rely on Kerrie to make certain that I'm getting the right bloodlines,” he said.
“At the start I was running blind because we'd always had Merino and first-cross ewes for many years, but with help from Malcolm and Kerrie, I’ve been able to simplify the operation, and I couldn't be more impressed with the Aussie Whites.”
The Schillers now only drench once a year and backline every 18 months, and haven’t any flystrike issues for the past seven years.
“I think, with a lot of the younger people not interested in sheep, this type of low maintenance sheep will be more popular.”
Mr Schiller runs about 350 breeding ewes, joining in late October for eight to 10 weeks, and lambing percentages have been good with “plenty of twins and triplets”.
He keeps as many ewe lambs as possible to increase numbers and all wethers are sold between five and eight months of age, with dressed weights of 28kg to 33kg, with all lambs sold to Junee Lamb.
The shift to Aussie Whites has certainly paid off.
“It’s a much sweeter leaner meat than Dorper, and the first-cross lambs by Aussie Whites are about four or five inches bigger and longer than the pure Dorpers at the same age – we’re very happy with them,” Mr Schiller said.