A switch to breeding high-prolificacy crossbred ewes on a fixed price contract and for retention in the estate's lowland flock will lift sheep profitability for David Vaughan.
Switch to more prolific damline set to boost estate’s sheep profits
Farmers Weekly, August 2009
Increased prolificacy and improved grass use are behind a switch in breeding policy for the largest farming estate in Wales, visitors to an open day organised by breeding company Innovis were told.
David Vaughan, manager of the 505ha (12,500 acre) Cnewr Estate, Sennybridge, was approached by Innovis in 2006 to put some of the estate's 5000 Brecknock hill Cheviot ewes to Aberdale Texel tups carrying the Inverdale gene, to breed ewe lambs for sale to lowland farmers.
”I liked the idea of the contract scheme as it offered an agreed price before the ram went out,” explained Mr Vaughan. About 400 ewes were covered, and he was so impressed by the ewe lambs bred that he and the estate's directors decided to increase the number mated to 1400, and to retain some crossbreds as replacements.
As the farm's first crop of ewe lambs was already sold he bought 100 from another contracted producer which had used Tregaron type Welsh Mountain ewes. The plan is to build up to 1000 Aberdale cross bred ewes to be run with high index Texel X Charollais rams, also supplied by Innovis, to produce finished lambs on 242ha of reseeded land.
"If we achieve the 180% lambing we expect, rather than 120% from Breckock ewes, income from our better land will be increased significantly." The original hardy breed will still use rough grazing running up to 720m (2400ft). The 1400 pre-drafting ewes occupying lower slopes, and put to Border Leicester rams to breed Welsh Half-bred ewe lambs for sale, will run with Aberdale Texel tups.
A proportion of the resulting ewe lambs will be retained to build the prime lamb-producing flock. Few problems were experienced lambing the 100 bought-in Aberdale crossbreds outside from April this year, and the ewes milked well.
''We are working towards a system that replicates the stratification of the industry, but all on one farm. This will help us minimise disease risk and ultimately improve flock performance and profitability." Dewi Jones, Innovis chief executive, said the company expected to market more than 4000 Aberdale crossbred ewe lambs this year. New potential contracted producers were being vetted and output would quickly increase.
"It’s a case of balancing production and demand. We can offer Aberdale ewe lambs out of Brecknock Hill Cheviots, Llandovery Whiteface, Tregaron Welsh, Talybont-on-Usk Welsh and Beulah Speckled Face dams. Aberdale crossbreds are 15-20% smaller and hardier than other widely used crossbreds. Monitoring of flocks that have bought Aberdale ewes shows they consistently achieve a 180-200% lambing without autumn flushing. Put to good quality terminal sires, their lambs finish from 12 weeks at 19kg deadweight if a well managed grass system is used. They also grade better than the progeny of some other crossbreds."
Last autumn one customer compared the performance of Suffolk mules and Aberdale ewes. On average, 92% of the Charollais sired lambs out of Aberdale ewes hit specification, compared with 90% of those out of Suffolk Mules.
He added that it was more profitable to produce lamb from prolific, slightly smaller ewes using grass than off expensive supplementary feed. To get the best from a damline like the Aberdale commercial sheep breeders must make an effort to manage their grassland well.
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