Ben Anderson knows exactly what he wants from a prime lamb. And crossing his first-cross ewes with Poll Dorset and White Suffolk rams is working a treat.
Mr Anderson and his wife Rochelle, Jessmondeen, Narrawa, run 3500 traditional first-cross ewes on their 950-hectare property with his parents Brian and Helen Anderson.
Breeding a quality Merino is in Mr Anderson's blood, growing up with his parents, who are life-long Merino breeders at Lower Sylvia Vale, Binda.
But the Andersons bring growth and bulk to their progeny with the addition of Poll Dorset and White Suffolk genetics, producing a meaty finished lamb.
After buying their property in 2016, Mr Anderson found it was ideal for fattening lambs. "Our property is well suited to a prime lamb operation, with the steeper granite country having plenty of shelter for lambing and a fair balance of river flats for finishing stock and fodder cropping," he said.
The first-cross article works well as a base for the Andersons' production. "The first-cross is an animal that is proven and dual purpose, and the market is happy to see a Poll Dorset lamb out of a first-cross ewe," he said. "The lambs get up and go. They are good doers and can be finished on grass."
The Andersons also run a mob of Merino ewes that are joined to Border Leicester rams. They keep about 500 first-cross ewes as breeders, a mixture of their own progeny and those bought in from Mr Anderson's parents.
"Our ewes need to be structurally sound so that they will be productive their entire life and won't break down early."
The Anderson also run 40 head of Angus cattle.
First-cross ewes are joined primarily to Poll Dorset rams, with dries joined again to White Suffolks. But Mr Anderson is adamant the ewes are mature enough to carry a lamb. "We don't join our first-cross ewes as lambs," he said. "We feel the jury is still out as to how this impacts the ewe over her life. We let our girls grow out before joining."
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When selecting rams, conformation is a huge factor.
"First and foremost, rams have to be of sound structure, whether they are Poll Dorset, White Suffolk or Border Leicesters, and regardless of what their ASBVs (Australian Sheep Breeding Value) are," he said.
"Our rams need to handle the hills and cover a bit of ground. After this, we look for good, long-bodied rams regardless of the breed. For our Poll Dorsets, eye muscle area is the driving factor."
The Andersons source their rams from a range of studs in the Crookwell district.
Ewes are joined at the end of December for a late May lambing. And Mr Anderson doesn't gear his production towards getting multiples.
"I don't want a huge number of multiples," he said. "They are harder to finish. I would rather have a good big single.
"We have been very lucky this year compared to a lot of the district and had the majority of our lambs on the ground before the wet and cold weather hit. We are currently running at around 130 per cent with marking still going for the 2021 drop."
The lambs are aimed to be finished at weaning in October.
"In order to sell straight off mum, it's important to keep the ewes in good condition. We supplementary feed the ewes as required after lambing to ensure they can give sufficient nutrients to the lamb and remain in good nick for the next joining."
Switching it up
Weaning is an important time for Ben and Rochelle Anderson.
Their Jessmondeen, Narrawa, lambs are aimed to be sold off their mothers through the South Eastern Livestock Exchange, Yass, with heavier lines going to Coles or Southern Meats. "Any lambs that don't make the grade by weaning are finished on fodder crops," Mr Anderson said.
Shearing at Jessmondeen is about to see change. "This will be our first year of moving to a multiple shearing regime, in late October and March," he said. "We hope that by shearing in October, which replaces our normal crutching timing, not only will fly control over summer be much simpler, but the ewes will do better during the warmer months. We join at the end of December, so we expect to see a benefit in that area too with the ewes carrying less fleece."