Increasing number of lambs weaned / ewe unit
| Project start date: | 01 January 2021 |
| Project end date: | 20 October 2024 |
| Project status: | In progress |
| Livestock species: | Sheep, Lamb |
| Relevant regions: | Western Australia |
| Site location: | Mid-west Western Australia |
Summary
This Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) is designed to demonstrate how much ewe reproductivity and Gross Margin/DSE can be increased, without compromising wool cut, by precision feeding ewes to meet production status.
Objectives
By October 2024, in the Midwest region of Western Australia:
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4 core producers sites of different sizes and different joining times, will demonstrate and assess the potential increase in lamb survival and reproductive performance of ewes, when adhering to best practice management techniques as set out in AWI, Lifetime Wool, and Asheep, following maidens over a 3 yr period focusing on:
a) Achieving BCS 3 – 3.5 pre-joining & pre- lambing BCS for the 3 consecutive years of the project
b) Increasing the reproductive rate (measured by pregnancy scanning for litter size & foetal aging),
c) Increasing the number of lambs marked and number of lambs weaned
d) Measuring lambs weaned / ewe unit joined & measuring lambs weaned / ewe unit scanned pregnant.
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Assess the effect of precision feeding on ewe fleece weights, and tensile strength using Electronic Identification Device technologies and wool test reports.
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Assess the general health of animals provided with balanced diet- BSC, WEC, marking weight & mineral status.
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Conduct a cost benefit analysis to determine the return on investment on the total feed & labour costs compared to an increase in reproductive performance, number or lambs weaned.
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Implement a series of skills and training development activities to increase the knowledge skills and confidence of 75 core and observer producers in ewe nutrition and management.
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Produce a series of demonstration fact sheets and guidelines from the project (6 in total) – for producers to utilise to adopt practices.
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75% of core producers will have adopted scanning to determine litter size to enable precision feeding requirements and 25% of observers intend to.
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30% of core producers will have adopted EID technologies in their flock, using the data to inform culling decisions
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Conduct an annual field day and other activities to showcase the demonstration site results and encourage adoption of key practices by 75 attending producers.
Progress
The ‘Increasing Number or Lambs Weaned through Precision Feeding’ project based in the mid-west of WA, is managed by Bronwen Bird in conjunction with Nutrien Ag Solutions Northampton. This project is designed to demonstrate how much ewe reproductivity and Gross Margin/DSE can be increased, without compromising wool cut, by precision feeding ewes to meet production status. The project is in its final year of a 3-year project. With two full years of data being collated on repro success, lamb survival, DSE and Gross margin/ha.
The next workshop is to be held at PDS site 2 and will discuss how implementing a whole farm systems approach allows for sustainably running a higher DSE, without negatively impacting on cropping operations. They will demonstrate, how by incorporating technology and management systems, like split joining, electronic id/data management, ewe indexing, confinement and crop grazing , they have been able to sustainably run increasingly higher DSE rates, for a typically lower DSE region, and increase gross margins.
Key findings to date from the 2023 season include that carried over food on offer (FOO) from last year is declining rapidly and ewes require additional supplementation to maintain BCS, the rising price of commodities and the livestock prices, are making it difficult to justify purchasing off farm fodder for extra supplementation. The challenging times within the livestock industry in WA has certainly had a negative impact on grower morale, however the resilience of growers within the livestock industry has been admirable.
