2019 Newsletter
Hello everyone!
Welcome to Spring and new Beginnings!
Yay … spring is knocking on our doors! … we just love this time of year … it carries a sense of hope and excitement … new beginnings … new life is popping up and out everywhere … the days are getting longer and there is a bit of warmth in that sunshine again! It simply is a time full of joy … no matter what!
And of course, for us farmers, there always is the anticipation of our next years “crop” been born … all the hard work and match making of the last months is now going to materialise!
Some of you have already finished lambing (and maybe already done the docking/tailing …) while others are right in the middle of it all and some, like us, are just starting to lamb now … wherever you’re at on the scale, we hope you had/have a fantastic lambing season!
Things could get a bit interesting for us here … scanning consistently around 215% for years, this years scanning results of 235% for our Coopworth ewes and 152% for our Coopworth hoggets (all mated on the hills and in an autumn drought …) gave us a real surprise! … especially as our triplet % didn’t rise dramatically … but our dry and single % dropped … we’re most excited! … as well as wondering how we best manage these numbers coming on!
Lamb Supreme 2T ewes … awaiting their scan
Naturally, these high scanning percentages come at a price … a few more triplets! … is this a price we’re prepared to pay and manage or are triplets more of a curse than a blessing?
We know, that with the “right” genetics, triplets don’t have to cause a headache and can in fact be a blessing! The efficiency around a highly fertile ewe flock combined with high survival is massive!
Number of lambs on the ground is still the biggest driver for profitability (kg’s of meat weaned per hectare).
A high fertility ewe flock also gives you more options, enabling you to select more progressively for your A-flock breeding replacement ewes while allowing for a higher % of your ewe flock to go to one of our awesome Terminals, producing even faster and higher yielding progeny!
It’s a win-win!
We know, we have the right genetics to set you up for a successful journey …our sheep are not just extremely fertile but they also survive!
SIMBA, one of our 16 born Coop rams (377/16) is continuing to hold top position on the SIL ACE across flock list!
In other words … SIMBA is #1 ranked ram across all breeds, across all New Zealand for Maternal Worth and Maternal Worth & Meat, he’s extremely high on Survival and high on FE (passed at 0.6) …
But wait there’s more …
SIMON, also one of our 16 born Coop rams (199/16) is ranked #2 & #4 on the very same lists … BOYCE, another one of our 16 born Coop rams (380/16) ranked #44 & #103 … and finally EDDY, one of our 15 born Coop rams (57/15) ranked #45 & #134
Yes we’re proud to show off!
SIMBA … #1 ranked ram in NZ (maternal worth & meat) and SIMON … #2 hiding in background at the rails …
Sons of SIMON, BOYCE and EDDY will be available for sale this year … unfortunately you’ll have to wait until next year for sons of SIMBA … we sold him to a client not knowing how great he’d end up being and had to get him back this year for mating … phew, that was lucky!
Our genetic programs are based on building quality animals that translate into easy handling, resilient and structurally sound, highly productive sheep. Offspring ratios, weight gain, survival rates and even our thicker skin, make our stud animals desirable. A natural result of our stringent review and culling levels means we put quality before quantity.
So if you are part of our extended family, or want to experience our genetics and quality, please make contact. We would love to get to know you, your business and welcome you into our world.
Simon, Pascale and Family
