GOOD framed Merino rams are producing profitable wethers and higher wool cuts for the Lord family at Junee.
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Sixth-generation woolgrowers Andrew and Gregory Lord and their parents Keith and Debra run 3500 Merino ewes at Homeview, with the wool enterprise run alongside a large cropping program.
They've have used Willandra genetics for many years, and the climate of the South West Slopes has a big impact on ram selection.
The Lords are looking for rams that are suited to the Junee areas, with wools that can manage higher rainfall.
"We want our sheep to be of a reasonable size," Gregory said.
"We want our sheep to cut a lot of wool and also grow a lot of meat, and because the Willandra sheep are bigger framed, they'll cut a lot of wool and we get a good dressed weight from the lambs. We do run them as a dual-purpose sheep but when we select our rams, wool cut is the big focus."
Wool cut has been an area of focus for the past 25 years, with the Lord family aiming for eight kilograms at 18- to 19-micron.
"Our micron has become finer over years, down from 22-micron, and Ross (Wells, Willandra stud principal) has helped us with that. But we're looking for sheep that will cut a lot of wool, because yield is the biggest driver of profitability."
The family has also been working on lambing percentages, which are currently around 105 per cent marked.
Lambing is in August and September and all wethers are sold at 10 to 11 months, aiming for a dressed weight of about 26kg. They're generally finished on grazing canola, which is then locked up for harvest.
"In the years that we've had good rain they're just phenomenal lambs off the canola. Last year we had huge number of sheep in the paddock, but it was an incredible crop. If you get the right conditions you've had a lot of sheep grazing for a long time, then it'll come back and we can harvest it."
The canola is part a five-year rotation which includes a lot of winter wheats, barley, faba beans and improved pasture.
"The cropping is a big part of the way we manage our Merinos, filling the winter feed gap," Andrew said.
"A large percentage of our wheat is Kittyhawk grazing wheat for the sheep, and they've helped us increase our stocking rates. We're at capacity now, but with our sheep enterprise we're trying to get the most out of them, and be more efficient in the way we feed and run sheep."
