Richard Sparey with some of his Aberdale crossbred ewes
A profitable mix
Sheep Farmer, September 2009
Aberdale ewes enable a combination of the best UK sheep genetics with New Zealand grassland systems to drive profitability
If you want to maintain productivity but reduce the cost base required to achieve that goal, then Aberdale crossbred ewes complemented by well maintained clover ryegrass swards is one business strategy to consider, particularly since lamb numbers and total carcass weight sold through the farm gate remain the key drivers for productivity and the level of cost a farm can carry, writes Innovis’s Dewi Jones.
Since 2005, Innovis has developed a breeding programme for commercial sheep which features an Aberdale nucleus flock based on British Texel genetics that also carries the naturally occurring Inverdale prolificacy gene originally discovered in flocks in New Zealand where it is extensively used.
The rams have been used over selected hill ewes to produce the Aberdale crossbred, a ewe which is smaller and hardier than other crossbreds and they are naturally prolific. They each carry a single copy of the Inverdale gene which naturally increases ovulation rates by 0.6 lamb. This means that when Aberdale crossbred ewes are put to a terminal sire they consistently achieve a lambing percentage of between 180% and 200% without the need to use the best grass for autumn flushing. Consequently, the grass that is surplus to seasonal requirements can be used for either finishing store lambs or as deferred grazing into the winter.
Our Aberdale crossbred ewes are able to lamb outdoors with minimal assistance, and have plenty of milk to rear twins off grass. Furthermore, when they are put to the terminal sire, for example the Charollais, their lambs are going on to finishing from 12 weeks at 19kg target deadweight on grass based systems and with a higher specification grade.
Last month, New Zealander, Chris Adams who farms 1,400 acres at the bottom of South Island made a whistle stop tour of UK flocks which have introduced Aberdale crossbreds. He told us how a combination of Inverdale-carrying genetics and meticulous grassland management enables him to not only maximise output from his 5,000 ewe flock producing 8,000 lambs finished off grass, but to free up grassland to finish an additional 15,000 store lambs each autumn when other farmers can be forced to sell their lambs through lack of feed.
While the New Zealand approach to extensive pasture management focuses on grazing height, dry matter intake and availability, the key to increasing production efficiency in the UK’s relatively intensive systems is to introduce clover ryegrass based swards and to pay careful attention to grassland management in the spring early and summer to avoid losing grass quality as recommended in our Greenprint® management package.
The Sparey family is already seeing the benefits of combining the Aberdale genetics with focused grassland management systems at Lodge Farm, Garway, Hereford. Inspired by a visit to New Zealand in 1999, Richard, who farms 840 acres in partnership with his brother, Bill and parents Mike and Rose, adopted a grassland improvement programme. In 2008 they started to integrate Aberdale crossbreds into their 800 ewe Texel Mule flock.
“Our objectives are to maximise farm returns without increasing labour and other costs. Aberdale crossbreds offered us the opportunity to sustain our lambing percentage, at the 170% mark, off a much smaller ewe and to maximise alternative use of the good grass in autumn. Twelve months ago we kept the Aberdale ewes mainly on land that is usually very dry and tends to burn off in the summer. We achieved a win win situation; we kept my good quality autumn grass for finishing more lambs and for grazing the unit’s 200 suckler cow herd, and the Aberdale crossbreds recorded a lambing percentage over 200%.
Richard found that the Aberdale ewes are able to lamb with minimal assistance and have plenty of milk to rear twins off grass. “They were overwintered on swedes, housed one week before lambing and then turned out onto grass. The ewes lambed with minimal assistance and they made excellent mothers. In fact, the system worked so well that we’re now considering lambing outdoors next season.
“They also fit in well with our forage based system - we reseed annually 60 acres with ryegrass and clover, and we were able to finish all our Beltex/Texel cross Aberdale lambs off grass at 38kg to 41kg target liveweight. Furthermore, carcase quality was maintained with the majority selling to Farmers Fresh and hitting U3L export specification. The early August draw sold liveweight hit £1.70/kg, 21p/kg above the day’s average.” He adds: “If Aberdale crossbreds can consistently achieve these levels, then they should have a sustainable and profitable future.”
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