New season suckers are anticipated to hit the market a lot later then usual with lamb performance hamstrung by one of the wettest years in history.
And not only is cold wet weather problematic for small, newborn lambs that lose heat and condition quickly, it can be fatal if they don't have enough energy reserves to burn to keep warm.
Nutrien Ag Solution Livestock manager at Wagga Wagga in Riverina NSW, Peter Cabot, said the extremely wet weather means sheep producers won't be fortunate to have new season sucker lambs at the ready for the normal spring flush.
In fact, they are about two-months behind.
"The Riverina is really wet and really cold at the moment. We have had about 30 per cent more rain than we would have normally had already," Mr Cabot said.
"But the central west has been even wetter still - through Dubbo, Parks and down through to Temora - they have had more rain than us
"So in turn the stock just haven't done. Ewes and cows have done it really tough.......they are falling away because there is just no guts in the feed, it's all water."
He said seasoned producers say the short feed that would normally have been frosted and plenty of clear sunny days just haven't happened this year.
"We have had no frosts and literally no sun for weeks. The feed hasn't turned at all," Mr Cabot said.
"The lambs just haven't done. We are going to have to assume they are going to be extraordinarily late.
"We normally start selling suckers at the end of July and early August, but that certainly won't be the case in the Riverina, they will be a lot later than that."
The scenario is a far cry from three years ago when the winter was so mild, suckers were all cleared off farms well before Christmas.
The lambs just haven't done. We are going to have to assume they are going to be extraordinarily late
- Peter Cabot, Nutrien Ag Solutions Wagga Wagga
However, Mr Cabot said lambs have the ability to turn around, and quickly, if the conditions favour them.
"They can be absolutely no good, but if we start getting a bit of growth by the middle of August, or in four weeks time if they have had a bit of sun and they do get compensatory gain, they can pick up quickly," he said.
"They've got the frame they just don't have the condition on them, but they will grow, so once they do get a bit of sun and good feed they have the capacity to do very quickly."
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Central tablelands Local Land Services vet Bruce Watt said underperformance in lambs is a very likely scenario this year.
And although there are ways to mitigate underperforming lambs, often it is easier said than done.
"In these type of situations supplementary feeding is a must," Dr Watt said.
"That is not always easy because you are putting feed out onto wet paddocks, but things like self-feeders of rubber mats can work.
"But I think given the current price of sheep and the current price of feed, I think supplementary feeding is worth having a go."
He suggested dry distillers grain (DDG) as it is high in protein and energy and has a relatively low risk of acidosis.
But Mr Cabot said it is too wet to put feed out into the paddocks and the cost is against producers bottom line.
"There is no one lot feeding intensively in the Riverina region because it is prohibitively expensive with the input costs of grain," he said.
"It's too dear. Barley is $400 a tonne so they are really reluctant to supplementary feed.
"Producers are only getting $7 to $8 a kilo for their lamb so at a $1 a day supplementary feeding doesn't add up at the moment.
"That's why the older lambs have kept coming because they've taken a lot longer - people haven't been supplementary feeding them.
He said he doesn't expect the delay in new season suckers will impact prices with plenty of lambs still around to fill the shortfall.
"All it will mean is the old lambs will keep coming, I don't think there will be a shortfall at all," he said.
"They haven't done either so there are all delayed as well."
