"It's something I've been thinking about for a while," Sally Martin said, when explaining her involvement in the MLA Producer Demonstration Project - the South West Slopes group demonstration sites, where sire evaluation (Low and High Breech Wrinkle sire groups); tail docking methods and Breech Wrinkle Scoring methods, are being trialled and demonstrated in the paddock.
Mrs Martin, SheepMetrix, Young, has paired with Lisa Warn, who together are coordinating four producer groups in Victoria and NSW, and she recently hosted a seminar in Young where the following were discussed.
Breeding and management options; assessing where your flock currently is; Are your sheep ready?; find out what chemicals are still working; pain relief options, benefits and how to access; market trends, feedback and opportunities for both wool and meat; with the aim to provide a pathway to assist transition and maintain your own flock as non mules.
"The one thing I saw was that everyone who attended was positive about learning as much as they can to go down this path, the challenge is, we are not all starting at the same place and will need to take slightly different directions," she said.
"It is important to have a balanced approach and its encouraging that people are sharing their journey with those who are starting out."
Mrs Martin said the feeling during the seminar "was not a matter of if, but when", and sheep breeders are being responsive to the market and social signals.
"And while some people will give up some fleece weight, most probably they will gain by producing more lambs," she said.
The balance comes from partitioning the energy across key profit driving traits, if a sheep is putting it into one area eg wool growth the other areas can miss out, it is all about balancing the energy ratio. .
Mrs Martin further noted it was important for Merino breeders to have a clear breeding objective, and work closely with your ram supplier, shearers, classer, stock agents and veterinarians in transitioning to non-mulesing - it is a team approach.
"You must have a plan which includes management strategies, understanding the risk in terms of the environment and what you are breeding towards," she said.
"Moving to non-mulesing is a staged approach, some are in a position to stop, while others will take some time as it is not one size to fit all.
"It is often best to start with a trial of a small mob - even score your lambs and see the distribution of breeches scores within your flock."
But most importantly according to Mrs Martin is to use the pain relief products available for all operations associated with lamb marking.
"We should be using a combination of short acting and long acting," she said.
"They are affordable and there should be no excuse for not using them."
FURTHER READING: Merino breeding focused on non-mulesing
Stephen Burns
Jackaroo on Merino sheep studs in the Riverina, a lifetime working on the land with sheep, cropping and cattle. Graduate Charles Sturt Uni with degree in Business and a Dean's Certificate. Graduate C.B. Alexander Agricultural College
Jackaroo on Merino sheep studs in the Riverina, a lifetime working on the land with sheep, cropping and cattle. Graduate Charles Sturt Uni with degree in Business and a Dean's Certificate. Graduate C.B. Alexander Agricultural College
