Time for Dohne to shine

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3 Time for Dohne to shine By JODIE RINTOUL THE Australian sheep industry may never have been in a more unique position. Prices for sheep meat, wool and breeding ewes are at near all time highs, while flock numbers are at their lowest levels since the early 1900s. So what does this mean for producers currently running Dohnes or producers looking to get into the breed in the coming years? The answer is simple. They could not be any better placed as Dohnes have been specifically bred over the years to take advantage of this position. The breed s true dualpurpose nature means it can take advantage of both the strong sheep and wool markets. The first Dohnes bred in South Africa in the late 1930s were bred out of a need to produce a dual-purpose sheep that helped producers cope with the rigours of a harsh environment and changing market demands, something that Australian producers have experienced in the last few years. Selective breeding over seven decades has resulted in an animal which is highly fertile, has ease of lambing, good mothering ability to produce lambs with high growth rates and excellent muscling, which are suited to the domestic and the export lamb markets and a wool quality which would match any pure Merino. The quality of their meat is unsurpassed and carcases have proven to be top quality when judged against many other breeds in competitions across Australia. Dohnes have been hard to beat both on the hoof and on the hook. On the wool side of things purebred ewes can produce four to six kilograms of high quality, white 18 to 22 micron wool similar to the tradition of the great Australian wool clip. Dohne ewes also command a premium in the saleyards as purebred and crossbred Dohne ewes can be run as a self-replacing, meat-wool enterprise, eliminating the need to buy in replacement or traditional first cross ewes as with other prime lamb breeds. And with flock numbers at low levels the need to produce lambs in coming years will also be highly important. With their high fertility Dohnes could be the best option for many producers to turn to. It is not uncommon for the breed to record lambing percentages of up to 150 per cent. Producers who have already recognised these benefits of the breed and made the change were able to capitalise on the rising markets in 2010, when week after week new records were being set in the saleyards for ewes and lambs throughout Australia. The Dohne breed was in the thick of this, recording a national record of $206 for extra heavyweight lambs at one point during January this year. The record was achieved in the Forbes saleyards, New South Wales, for a pen of 29 lambs with an estimated carcase weight of 35kg. The pen was bought by Country Fresh, Tamworth, NSW and offered by Max and Brenton Browne, Tullibigeal, NSW. The lambs were out of Dohne ewes by Poll Dorset rams. While in Western Australia, at the height of the excitement, Ian and Steph Longmuir, Mollerin Rock stud, Koorda, topped the market at the Muchea Livestock Centre with a line of F3 10-monthold lambs at $ bought by WAMMCO International. Both were great achievements and sure signs that the breed is widely accepted by the trade. Prices for ewes also hit record levels in 2010 as Eastern States producers began to replace breeding stock after years of drought and Dohne ewes were in demand with prices regularly going beyond the $200 barrier Dohne Australia 2011 Page 3

4 Dohne provides breeding answers THE Dohne is a wellbalanced, dual-purpose breed that allows the commercial producer to market both a quality heavyweight lamb and a fine-medium, white wool. The Dohne is a naturally polled, plain-bodied sheep and therefore easy care. It has the ability to do well on low quality pasture and is adapted to a wide range of environmental and climatic conditions. As the Dohne is naturally bare breeched, the necessity for mulesing beyond the first cross and second cross stage is eliminated. The Australian Wool Innovation s bare-breech scoring has been adopted by the Dohne breeders. Purebred and crossbred Dohnes can be run as a self-replacing, meat-wool enterprise eliminating the need to buy in replacement or traditional first cross ewes as with other prime lamb breeds. Purebred ewes produce from four to six kilograms of high quality, white, 18 to 22 micron wool in the tradition of the great Australian wool clip. They have high fertility with up to 150 per cent lambing not uncommon. Dohne lambs have good early growth rates with weaning weights in excess of 50kg in singles and combined weights of 75kg regularly achieved. The breed was developed by the South African Department of Agriculture using Peppin-type Merino ewes and German Mutton Merino sires. The progeny were interbred and selected for high fertility, rapid lamb growth rate and fine wool under commercial pastoral conditions. The breeding program was initiated in 1939 and the breed society was formed in Selection since 1970 has been done with the aid of performance and progeny testing. The introduction of the Dohne to Australia in 1998 has continued the united approach to breeding initiated in South Africa. The Australian Dohne Breeders Association (ADBA) was formed in October 2000 to provide strong and democratic grassroots breeding, education and promotion of the Dohne. All ram breeding flocks must be registered with the ADBA and use the Dohne breed evaluation system. what the Dohne means to you The True Dual Purpose Breed The Easy-Care Merino Sustainable and Profitable! Produce prime lambs and quality wool from the one purebred, self-replacing, mules-free flock The association has established a full-pedigree performance evaluation and grading system that accounts for all traits. The system is based around independent, visual assessment combined with the use of total pedigree recording for ewes and rams, bringing to the fore a quality-assured breeding system. PUBLISHED BY 9 Kitchener Avenue, Victoria Park, WA 6100 Tel: , Fax: farmweekly@ruralpress.com Subscriptions: Publisher: Editor-in-Chief: Livestock manager: Compiled by: Trevor Emery Travis King Jodie Rintoul Jodie Rintoul :: Kane Chatfield :: Trinity Golding Caitlyn West:: Lynette Carew-Reid Steve Davies :: Melissa Jenks :: Angelo Celentano :: Alex Cordier Production design: Thanks to The Land, Stock Journal and Stock & Land newspapers for their assistance. Page 4 Dohne Australia 2011

5 Future bright for modern Merino ONCE again the Dohne breed sold out of all rams across the country, from memory the third year in a row, which is an exceptional achievement on its own. At this stage I cannot see that changing this year. It is exciting times for sheep breeders across the country, with many records being achieved across Australia for all breeds. The Dohne has not missed out either, with Dohne cross lambs in the east actually holding the Australian record price for lamb, for a time. In the west we had Ian and Steph Longmuir top the weekly Muchea trade sale with F3 wether lambs, a great achievement and a sure sign that the breed is well accepted by the trade, while Far Valley came within 50 cents of doing the same at the Katanning trade sale with purebred wether lambs. No doubt there are many others who would have similar stories to these. Wool prices have improved markedly and all Dohne wool is selling very well, so perhaps we can all look forward to a time of growth and perhaps even, dare I say it, some profits. With all that is happening at the moment, the Dohnes fit in Australia s sheep industry is as good as ever. It comes as no surprise to me that the Dohne ewe is emerging as Australia s premier maternal ewe. The Dohne ewe s fertility and ability to grow her lambs out fast will stand the Dohne breed in good stead. Congratulations to our Victorian members who have started up their state body again and, by all reports, are working very hard. I am sure they will be successful and well done to Bruce Barnes-Webb and his team of workers. It is a time of enormous change for the sheep industry as profit has returned and many breeders are adopting new techniques and management practices President DAVID KAIN Far Valley 107 Howie Road Arthur River, WA, 6315 Ph: Fax: Mobile: kain@fvdohne.com Council Members GREG ANDREWS Hamilton Run PO Box 353 Jamestown, SA, 5491 Ph: Mobile: hamiltonrun@bigpond.com that we simply could not afford to do in the past. Many people are adopting the use of lick feeders, especially for the ewes bearing multiples and achieving great success with the concept. Genomics is fast approaching and some fantastic results are being achieved. It will eventually change a lot of things in the wool and meat industry, the thought of being able to use ram lambs in the future, with a high accuracy ASBVs is quite exciting. It will shorten the generation interval to the extent that it should really drive improvements in our breed forward even faster. A quick note with this is that Sheep Genetics will be looking for more Dohne sires in the near future, so council will be sending out the word as soon as we are aware of this. At council level, we have been busy like never before, holding two forums in the last seven months with many ideas coming from the membership and being acted upon as quickly as we can. The Adelaide forum was considered a big success by all who attended and will be repeated again in Adelaide in March Those who did not attend need to next year. Come and have your say, meet with all your fellow breeders, there is much to learn and many friends to make. By June, or sooner, we will have turned on our maternal traits. This is another great achievement for RICHARD BEGGS Nareeb Nareeb 1547 Caramut/Glenthompson Road Nareeb Nareeb, VIC, 3293 Ph: Fax: Mobile: nnboffice@bigpond.com BRIAN CALDERWOOD Coolibar RSD 1933 Port Linclon, SA, 5607 Ph: Fax: Mobile: coolibar@coolibarstud.com National President s Report DAVID KAIN Australian Dohne Breeders Association KYM STAUDE KD Dohne PO Box 23 Bordertown, SA, 5268 Ph: Fax: Mobile: kkbaabaa@bigpond.com JUSTIN TOMBS Harewood 241 Waterfall Way Armidale, NSW, 2350 Ph: Fax: Mobile: harewood4@bigpond.com the breed, just remember to include your mating lists, scanning and birth results to Brett and Jac. It would be remiss of me not to thank our assessor group, their professional approach is helping to drive the breed forward. They do a lot of work with individual breeders that goes unnoticed and quite often unrewarded. They help keep us unique as a breed with their unbiased approach to the classing of our flocks. To Rob Martin and his crew, thanks to them for the outstanding job they do. To Allan, Brett and Jac, thank you on behalf of all our members and keep up the good work. To Sam Gill and his team at Sheep Genetics, you have helped us move to Sheep Genetics in an orderly fashion and thanks for the many hours you have put in. It will hopefully put our breed in a better place. In time you will have access to any amount of ASBVs, from WECs through to Breech Wrinkle Scores, at your disposal. To my fellow councillors, thank you very much for your support and for handling the ever-increasing workload without complaint. A special thanks to Bev Storch for her work towards keeping members better informed and her input into the Promo Group more people to thank. I once again ask state bodies, to forward their ideas to council as we need as much input from all members as we can get. I will conclude by saying to all members we will be presented with a unique opportunity this year to sell all our sheep very successfully, please watch the standards and make sure all sheep sold are of a high standard, especially at auction. Remember as breeders, we are responsible for what we sell, no one else is, so work hard at this. Secretariat ROB MARTIN Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of SA Inc PO Box 108 Goodwood, SA, 5034 Ph: Fax: robmartin@adelaideshowground.com.au Technical Adviser ALLAN CASEY Forrest Road Orange, NSW, 2820 Ph: allan.casey@industry.nsw.gov.au Dohne Australia 2011 Page 5

6 WA Dohnes pass the dry test WITH the second driest year on record since rain fall measurements began on top of poor finishes in previous seasons, farming has been very challenging (even dams in Perth are at record low levels). These weather conditions may seem unbelievable to the rest of Australia as we hear of floods in Queensland and Victoria. Despite these tough conditions the Dohne continues to thrive and conditions such as this was one of the main reasons the breed was developed in the first place. The hardiness of the breed shone through despite the year and this was shown in pregnancy testing results WHAT an incredible and exciting time to be involved in sheep. We are in unique times. Or are we? Have we become accustomed to just average returns for the great natural fibre, wool. How long do we need well-above average returns for wool to make up for the past 20 years? If you have Dohnes in your sheep flock you are seeing great returns for the early maturing lambs that are producing meat as well as quality wool. Last year was a wetter than normal year in most parts of South Australia and the spring/summer has been about the wettest on record. We have had swamps filling (and emptying three times) since September, for the first time in 14 years at Bordertown, South Australia where I live. This year has started with eight inches of rain in January and February. As a consequence of the wet and humid weather there has been a higher than normal incidence of external parasites in nearly all breeds of sheep. It is time consuming and costly to Western Australian report STEPHEN ABBOTT recorded being very good. Many WA sheep producers have been disappointed to see so many ewes leaving the State but we don t have many other options at the moment. On the other hand sheep prices still continue to be very high with a strong outlook. WA will be holding its third annual sire day on Monday, September 5, Exciting times in South Australia South Australian report KYM STAUDE deal with and causes big discomfort or worse to sheep, but can give valuable redirection in breeding objectives. The Dohne classing standards has positioned the breed well to withstand the extreme wet summer conditions in South Australia. The National Dohne forum held in Adelaide in March was a great gathering. There was much interactive discussion, generally in the direction of making the breeding of Dohnes easier and promotion of this great true dual purpose sheep breed. Thanks to those who supported the nightspots in the city. Input from those people was a bit lean on day two and in one case nonexistent (Muzza). As Dohne stud breeders we look 2011, at the Narrogin Ram Shed and we anticipate many WA studs will be represented. For more details on the event contact Bev Storch on or myself on There will be packages available for all Eastern States visitors. We all would like to thank David Kain for his continued hard work on national council and appreciate the work he has done. We would also like to acknowledge David s nomination into the Hall of Fame at LambEx last year. Finally we would like to thank Phil Gibbs for his contribution over the years his stud Pinedale had its dispersal sale last year. forward to having the data we collect from our stud sheep put through the Sheep Genetics analysis system. We will then receive our data back on individual animals as Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBV) which is the common language used in the sheep industry in Australia. This in turn will make it easier for commercial breeders of Dohnes to select the genetics they desire to generate greater returns for wool and meat. Stay tuned for ongoing developments in the Dohne measuring system. South Australian Dohne studs had total clearances of rams and very good averages in This has been a testament to the good quality wools and carcase attributes that commercial producers are rapidly discovering with the Dohne genetics. South Australia currently has Brian Calderwood, Greg Andrews and myself on the Federal Council with myself as chairman and Nicole Luckraft on the Federal Promotions group. Once again a big thanks to Rob Martin for his office expertise. Page 6 Dohne Australia 2011

7 NSW Dohnes bloom in extremes WELL what a year for climate change with 2009 seeing the Eastern States in severe drought after a number of years to an exceptional start to 2010 with good autumn rains in most districts. This followed through the winter to give us a great spring and a set up to one of the best cropping years in a long time. Then came flooding rains in early summer and the tap did not want to turn off, this caused severe damage in most areas that will take years to rectify. With that in mind it has set us up for a great start for the 2011 season and it is great not to be hand-feeding sheep. We have seen some outstanding onproperty sale results in 2010 for both stud and commercial rams, emphasising a rising popularity for the breed in commercial operations. We have seen Dohne composite lambs break the Australian prime lamb saleyard record price of $206 a head in Wagga Wagga, NSW, as well as Dohne commercial ewes make up to $250 a head. In the last couple of months we have seen the importance of by-products in the sheep industry with skins making $28 each and wool 1200c/kg. LAST year saw a decision made to reinvigorate the Victorian State Committee for the breed. At the inaugural meeting the following members were elected to serve on the executive: Bruce Barnes- Webb chairman; Fiona Cameron secretary and Don Mills, Craig Robertson and Murray Rogerson committee members. A new form of membership was also approved at the meeting whereby interstate breeders who promote and market into the region are encouraged to make a contribution to the group s financial funding. Four non-victorian studs have taken up the offer and these include Uardry, Macquarie, Kardinia and Dowell studs. This will certainly help the budget Eastern States President s Report JAMES BOWMAN This added to the carcase of the animal equates to a handy return and should not be ruled out. It puts the Dohne breed, in my mind, at the forefront of a true dual purpose breed and one which covers all bases especially when supply outweighs demand. With so many years of bad seasons and a huge reduction in the nation s sheep flock due to the drought, the 2010 Southern Meats Carcase competition and the 2010 Dohne Expo carcase competition had to be cancelled due to lack of numbers. I hope that future committees can keep a carcase competition and state sale going as it is a great opportunity to educate people about what is going on in the industry and an outlet for both big and small studs to come together and showcase what they have produced. It is also a great place for showing constraints that faced Victoria in the past and allow our committee to promote the breed effectively. Victoria probably hosted the most promotional events in 2010 and saw the benefits of that campaign through improved ram sales into all areas of the State. Upwards of 600 rams were sold which is remarkable for the breed. Events attended by the breed included the Campbell Town Sheep what the Dohne breed has to offer and to entice future breeders to join the breed. With that in mind the committee has decided to run information days throughout the State to showcase the breed to commercial breeders and show them what the breed can do for them. The information days will be planned in certain regions where we think the breed will have the best exposure and the ability to market itself into commercial operations. Last year also saw the formation of the Victorian State Committee and we wish them all the best in promoting the breed and we will endeavour to help them in any way to get the committee up and running to its full potential to market the breed in that State. I would also like to thank all of the assessors in the Eastern States as I think that sometimes their work is not appreciated enough. They are the backbone of the breed and the ones in the field seeing what is happening on a day-to-day basis and relaying that information back to us. So once again I would like to thank the committee for all its help and look forward to supporting the breed in the future. Victorian breeders vision for future Victoria Report BRUCE BARNES-WEBB Show, Tasmania; the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Bendigo, Victoria; Hamilton Sheepvention, Victoria; Arcadian Field Day, Ararat, Victoria; Elmore Field Day, Victoria; Elmore Sale, Victoria. In addition to these there were three on-property sales held. The 2011 calendar of events has been drawn up and will be circulated to all members so please make the effort to join in as we have a lot of fun promoting this wonderful breed of ours. There is renewed interest in sheep farming again and if we do not get out there and promote the virtues of our breed then we only have ourselves to blame. Good luck for the next year. Dohne Australia 2011 Page 7

8 Higher returns and lower costs By ALLAN CASEY THE high rate of genetic progress planned by Dohne breeders was achieved in Commercial breeders who use Dohne rams are reaping the rewards of higher returns and lower cost. Figure 1 shows the overall improvement of Dohne stud sheep for production traits (Dohne index value). The graph shows the performance of each drop since the Dohne was introduced into Australia in the late 1990s. The performance results shown have removed the environmental effects such as good and bad seasons and therefore show the true measure of breeding improvement. Traits such as lamb growth rate, muscle depth, reproduction and fibre diameter have been the priority for Dohne breeders. In the lamb and wool markets these are the traits, that if improved, will make money for commercial producers. The Dohne index is similar to the recently developed Merino Dual Purpose 7pc MP index. Lamb growth (WT) is a combination of body weight gain (about 30 per cent) and muscle and fat depth (about 10pc). The emphasis on muscle is to provide a moderate level of improvement in this trait while maintaining fat depth. Number of lambs weaned (NLW) is also a major contributor to commercial gain. The Dohne sheep introduced to Australia were already a highly productive, well-adapted commercial dual-purpose sheep. The improvement that has been made by Australian breeders is the cream that allows commercial producers to stay highly productive. The independent inspection of all stud sheep has also delivered continuous improvement to the structural soundness and fleece quality traits. This improvement ensures Dohne sheep are low maintenance. Low breech wrinkle has become fashionable in Merino sheep in recent years but this has been an absolute requirement of the Dohne sheep in South Africa and Australia since their introduction. This emphasis ensures the Dohne is low maintenance while at the same time being highly productive. The future Figure 2, 3, 4 show the genetic improvement made over the past 10 years as well as the 10-year predicted improvement that will be delivered by the Dohne breeding system. While the genetic gain in the last 10 years has been outstanding, the Dohne breeding objective for the next 10 years has been set to continue the improvement. With the same breeding system that delivered the past 10 years in place, future high rates of improvement can be counted on. Yearling body weight and muscle depth improvement (Figure 2 and 3), along with maintaining fat cover and conformation inspection, allows the Dohne to deliver the high rates of lamb growth and ideal carcase and skin conformation. Figure 4 shows the continuous fining up of the Dohne clip from a starting point of adult fleece lines in the micron range (depending on environment). This has been combined with an improvement in CV of FD (-0.9pc) and a general maintain fleece weight (0.1pc) outcome. Figure 1: Genetic improvement based on (Dohne index) of Dohne stud sheep. Figure 2: Yearling body weight genetic improvement ( drop) and predicted improvement ( drops). Figure 3: Muscle Depth genetic improvement ( drop) and predicted improvement ( drops). Figure 4: Fibre diameter genetic improvement ( drop) and predicted improvement ( drops). Page 8 Dohne Australia 2011

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10 Dohne is the dual purpose bandwagon By SALLY CODDINGTON Roseville Park stud co-principal I N a world where everything is constantly changing at a rapid rate and the media can air brush or make claims to conjure up whatever image or claim is the catch-cry of the day, many breeds of sheep have suddenly become dual purpose. Sitting quietly in the background getting on with the job of improving those qualities it was purposebred for 70 years ago, is the Dohne. While the Merino was bred to produce good wool, the Dorset and the Suffolk were bred for good quality meat and there is no doubt, that they and other breeds do that very well. The Dohne was bred out of a need to produce a dualpurpose sheep that made producers more able to cope with the rigours of a volatile environment and changing market demands. It was purpose bred to deliver improved positive outcomes for both meat and wool. P age 1 0 Careful selective breeding over seven decades has produced a sheep which has high fertility, ease of lambing and good mothering ability to produce lambs with high growth rates and excellent muscling, which are suited to the domestic and the export lamb markets. The quality of the meat is unsurpassed and carcases have proven to be the best quality when judged against many other breeds in competitions across Australia. They have proven to be hard to beat both on the hoof and on the hook. And this from a breed that only 11 years ago had not been heard of and had to fight a battle to find a place in the market. Australian Dohne breeders have not changed the recipe for success that has produced this remarkable sheep and pressure is constantly being applied through performance breeding to build on those meat traits such as eye muscle and fat depth, while ensuring that bodyweight Dohn e Aus t r a lia 2011 and growth rates are at optimum levels of production to compete in a volatile and changing marketplace. Even though meat has been a driving factor, wool has at no time been overlooked and today s Dohne breeder understands that wool has to be of good quality to suit a changing and very discerning wool market. Dohne wool is white and soft-handling with consistently high comfort factors and low CVs. There may be some tradeoff in fleece weight to maintain the balance of production and ensure bodyweight is not compromised. The high fertility and survivability of the lambs ensures there is no trade off in wool cut as the number of sheep shorn ensures that the number of bales in wool clips continues to improve. Low microns, high comfort factors and low CVs sees Dohne wool competing fiercely for top honours in the wool industry and making it suitable for any use within the garment market. The fact that the Dohne is the only sheep breed in Australia to have it mandatory for all registered breeders to collect performance information on all sheep in every drop and report that information to the database ensures that the breed is always improving as all sheep are benchmarked against the whole Australian Dohne flock and not just within individual flocks. The Dohne database has the highest quality assurance within the industry and is proud of the fact that it maintains one of the most valuable sheep databases in the world. This is a breed going forward and up in the industry! As we see many breeds jump on the bandwagon of being dual purpose, the Dohne is the bandwagon and proud to produce a purpose bred, dual purpose sheep which has not just become dual purpose but set out to be just that 70 years ago.

11 Trenton & Rachel Browne Ph: :: Fax: Mob: :: Murray Drage Mob: Quality rams for sale this season, some of the best in Australia

12 Dohnes enhance diversification By LYNETTE CAREW-REID DOHNES are a minor but valued aspect of a diversified farming operation run by Trevor and Kaye Bottrall and their son Nigel on Greenslopes their Jamestown property in South Australia. The family farms 730 hectares planting ha of wheat, barley and hay with vetch planted as a break crop. Much of their produce is used in an expanding prime lamb feedlot. Like many farmers they have gone through successive years of drought and are relishing the kinder seasonal conditions that have prevailed for the past year. While some people have capitalised on the high sheep prices by dispersing their sheep flock, Nigel prefers the security and reduced risk that sheep offer in their increasingly predominant cropping area and says Dohnes came along at precisely the right time. We have a lot of country suitable only for grazing but with low wool prices we were looking more at meat rather than wool, although being a shearer in my younger days I liked wool, Nigel said. They considered heading down the F1 Border Leicester path but they believed they may be able to achieve a similar result by using Dohnes and still maintaining wool quality. Today they run 800 breeding ewes joining 400 in a Dohne upgrading program to give them a self-replacing ewe flock with the other 400 joined to Suffolk rams for an enhanced prime lamb. The Suffolks originally were bought to use over their Merino ewes but the last of their Merinos were sold last year so they continue to use them over the Dohne ewes. Their theory that a Dohne would be the equivalent to a Border Leicester cross ewe has proved correct. Not only have they reduced their clip micron from down to a 21 Page 12 Dohne Australia 2011 Nigel Bottrall prefers the security and reduced risk that sheep offer in their increasingly predominant cropping area and said Dohnes came along at precisely the right time for the family's farming operation. micron average but they have a plainer type and find they are easier shearing, an important incentive for shearers at this point of time. We were chasing meat but now wool prices have gone up the decision is really paying off, Nigel said. The greater focus on meat also brought about another change of direction. Seven years ago they started a small feedlot in which to finish their Dohne cross lambs during the lean years. Today the feedlot has grown to 1000-head capacity and they have made a substantial investment in infrastructure and a Keenan mixer and will turn out about 3000 lambs this season. Most of the expansion has come about this year and Nigel said it had been a rapid learning curve but it had enabled them to value add much of the grain and hay they grow. They made a major investment in a new Keenan mixer and have relied heavily on the service and good advice available 24 hours a day from a Keenan livestock nutritionist which was offered as part of a 12-month purchase package. Their Elders stock representative, Richard Amey, also plays an important role in their business sourcing lambs and end markets with processors. Richard buys most of their lambs from the Dublin Livestock Exchange, on AuctionsPlus or occasionally from the local Jamestown saleyard and is the market adviser when the lambs reach their 51 kilogram target weight. We started out just feeding our own lambs but then we would buy in a few more after we d finished them, Nigel said. The enterprise has grown substantially and so has the price they have to pay for store condition lambs. We are still making the same money but we are playing with much higher figures, Nigel said. The lambs are sold over the hook into the spot market with recent sales achieving more than $6/kg carcase weight this season. Nigel said the breed was gaining in popularity in the region but they only occasionally came across a line of Dohne lambs for their feedlot. When Nigel spoke with the Australian Dohne Journal in April he was about to send off a consignment of their own Dohne lambs and he was more than happy with their feedlot performance. They reflected the good season they had experienced at Greenslopes going into the feedlot at a 35kg average liveweight and the 190 destined to go on the truck weighed an average of 58kg with the heaviest hitting a massive 78kg after six weeks in the feedlot. They do equally as well as any other breed, he said. He also praised the ewes saying they seemed to eat what a Merino won t eat and held their condition when Merinos would be losing condition. The ewes normally lamb in May and are weaned onto stubble before they go into the feedlot. The lambs look like rabbits when they are born but they grow very quickly and their ease of management is the beauty of them, he said. The Bottrall family bought their first sire from the inaugural Potari Dohne Stud Invitation Ram Sale held in 2003 at the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds. They later bought several rams from Babirra stud but today the breed is well established in South Australia and they shop locally at Greg Andrew s and Nicole Luckraft s Hamilton Run stud, saying they have both the quality and numbers for good selection. Nigel has seen many farmers opt out of sheep to concentrate on cropping only but as a family that enjoys working with livestock they will continue with their sheep saying they offer diversity and far less risk than a single cropping enterprise.

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14 Flexible approach at Coomete By LYNETTE CAREW-REID SUBTLE changes make a big difference to the bottom line when you are running a 6000-head ewe flock. For Jack and Jenny Roxburgh and their farm and sheep manager David Waterson the constantly changing landscape for sheep profitability has come from keeping an eye on other successful sheep enterprises and being prepared to make the changes. Their property Coomete at Hexham in the Victorian western district supports cattle and cropping enterprises as well as prime lamb production. With low wool prices they dedicated six years to developing a maternal composite from their base of Corriedale ewes using mainly Coopworth bloodlines. The focus shifted the flock towards a better prime lamb product but the figures from a South West Farm Monitor Benchmark analysis encompassing about 200 sheep producers showed that a dual purpose flock was more profitable than a prime lamb flock. You still have to shear so it was better to produce a finer wool than the micron clip we were getting, Jack said. The information prompted them to buy their first Dohne rams from their former Poll Merino supplier Nareeb Nareeb stud, Hamilton and embark on a thorough assessment of the breed in their environment. To do well the Dohne will have to compete with the fecundity of the Coopworth composite and the wool quality of the Merino in a trade-off between traits and a tick of approval will carry enormous weight. Now after two lamb drops they have found the hogget wool is in the 26 micron range and well on the way to a clip in the mid-20 micron range that Jack was targeting for the mature flock. In assessing the Dohne influence Jack and David place an all-important emphasis on rams with correct feet and foot structure. We must take care in selecting sires with the right pastern angle because we are in a 650 millimetre rainfall and our country is a soft loam and the sheep cannot wear down their hooves if they have pasterns that slope too much, Jack said. The consequence would be a lot of foot trimming. With the Coopworths it was hard to get above 130 per cent lambing. We would scan 160pc- 170pc lambs but between scanning time and the harsh weather in late winter and early spring when they lambed we lost quite a percentage. They hope by the time they reach purity the Dohnes can still produce 110pc but again they will have to watch and see. Another factor in A marketing helping hand MARKETING is an important part of projecting the future of our breed in the sheep industry. We have the good fortune of having Bev Storch available to you all to assist in the ongoing future development of your stud and the Dohne breed as a whole entity, through innovation in marketing, website presentation and media. choosing the Dohne has been mature ewe size. Jack said the composite ewes often weighed more than 80 kilograms and he hoped the Dohne path would eventuate in a lighter sheep allowing them to compensate by stocking at a higher ewe rate. So far they have bought 19 rams from Nareeb Nareeb and Alfoxton studs and plan to phase out their composite sires completely if the Dohnes perform as well as they hope. Even with the change of breed they will continue to lamb down in the late winter and early spring because it best matches peak nutrition needs with peak pasture production. Lambs are normally weaned at 12 weeks onto a summer crop and improved pasture combination and receive some supplementary feeding if the season dictates. The production system allows them to turn off half their lamb drop in late December and early January with the rest sold by May. They generally sell the lambs when they reach the 18kg-24kg weight range and so far they have noticed the Dohne crosses have taken a little longer to finish. Bev Storch For group or individual needs Bev can be contacted on or bev.storch@bigpond.com Page 14 Dohne Australia 2011

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16 Turning point near for R&D effort THIS year marks a subtle but significant turning point for the sheep industry s national, leading-edge research and development effort with the Sheep CRC now turning its energies towards commercialising the outcomes of its research and gearing-up learning and training initiatives across the country. This comes as the Sheep CRC reaches the half-way mark of its seven-year program of targeted work aiming to transform wool, meat and the sheep that produce them. Focusing on areas that address key cross-national issues and provide the greatest return on investment, the Sheep CRC is now looking to work with producer groups to roll out a range of new tools and techniques. They include: Opportunities for improved genetic gain in key and hardto-measure productivity traits On-farm programs to improve reproduction efficiency to produce more lambs a hectare Advanced management practises to reduce the costs of parasites and their control Combining genetics and management to simultaneously increase lean meat yield and maintain optimal eating quality. Sheep CRC chief executive officer Professor James Rowe said one key aim was to accelerate productivity gains. We re confident that the sheep industry now has a whole new suite of information and methods available that producers can use to take flock and farm performance to another level, year on year, Professor Rowe said. Gains in the order of four to six per cent an annum are entirely reasonable to expect. These gains can be achieved by combining best practice genetics and management and the CRC has a series of training packages that build the skills to manage for more output. Professor Rowe urges producers to be watchful for Page 16 Dohne Australia 2011 offers and notices of workshops and meetings run by the Sheep CRC and its many partner organisations from now on. Using modern technology and making the best decisions has never been more important in our sheep industry, Professor Rowe said. The size of the national flock has declined to just 67 million head from a peak of 1760m just 20 years ago and and this has coincided with very strong markets for sheepmeats and wool. Research outcome highlights: The first genomic predictions of Research Breeding Values were released to ram breeders involved in the Genomics Pilot Project, showing improved accuracy early in life for existing traits and the potential for early selection of young rams Preliminary evaluation of the LifeTime Ewe Management program indicates that course participants increased stocking rate by 11pc, increased lamb marking rate by 10pc and decreased in ewe mortality by 44pc Almost 5000 producers have attended events featuring outcomes from the CRC s Sheep Management program in the last six months Specific training courses on Genetics and Precision Sheep Management are now in development and will be available as soon as possible. Genetic gain Results from the Sheep CRC s Information Nucleus Program are already flowing through to industry and are contributing to genetic improvement. The Information Nucleus flock is breeding about 18,000 lambs from Merino, maternal and terminal sires at eight research sites and data from this work contributes directly to development of new ASBVs for these rams and also provides linkages between Information Nucleus rams and other evaluation programs. Producers assessing ewe condition scores as part of a LTEM course. The Information Nucleus Program is delivering a number of direct and indirect benefits for genetic improvement through data distributed to industry through Sheep Genetics for all breeds. In addition to the benefits through improved genetic parameters, the CRC initiated the first Genomic Pilot Project during 2010 in collaboration with MLA. Twelve Dohne rams were included in this pilot project and results of genomic predictions for a number of conventional and hard-tomeasure carcase and wool traits are being distributed to contributing breeders. Both the accuracy of the estimates, and the number of traits for which predictions can be made, are expected to increase over the next few years and more information will be made available to breeders as soon as results are available. The key benefit of using predictions based on genomic information is that rams with the desired characteristics can be identified at a young age; this is particularly valuable for those traits that are expensive or difficult to measure. The CRC is planning a second pilot project and will be publicising the opportunity around the middle of the year. Reproductive efficiency The Lifetime Ewe Management (LTEM) program has gained momentum during About 80 new groups have formed throughout Australia. The fact that the Farm Ready program was cut short during the 2011 financial year was a potential set back. But with support from Australian Wool Innovation, Department of Agriculture and Food WA and the CRC, the majority of groups have been able to go ahead. Early information about the impact of the LTEM program indicates that participants in the program have had real value through increased number of lambs weaned and an improved gross margin per hectare. Continued on page 18

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18 Continued from page 16 Running parallel with the LifeTime Ewe Management program is a series of Scanner Workshops being co-ordinated by Chris Shands, NSW Industry & Investment. Scanners and their clients are finding these workshops most useful in improving management decisions based on scanning information. With many producers aiming to increase sheep numbers, reproductive efficiency is widely recognised as a key area where improvements can be made to improve profitability. Parasite control The new Wormboss website structure is being finalised and is expected to be re-launched in the second half of This website (see: Grow_WormBoss.htm) contains best-practise information on managing internal parasites, and is regularly updated with regional reports. Also, a series of five MLA Producer Demonstration sites have been established to test the new Targeted Treatment worm strategy in South Australia and south west Victoria. In the area of blowfly management, the FlyBoss website (see: developed by the Sheep CRC has been very useful for many producers, especially those that have stopped or are phasing out mulesing. The FlyBoss website is being actively used with around 650 visits a month. A series of flystrike management workshops, based on information available through the FlyBoss website, have been attended by several hundred producers so far and feedback from these events has been positive. The majority of producers attending the training have improved their knowledge of flystrike risk factors and breeding and management options to reduce risk of flystrike, and almost 50pc A scientist assessing carcases for the meat eating quality study. will review chemical usage and breed plainer sheep. Meat eating quality A substantial amount of scientific work is now filling in the information gaps that industry will be able to use to increase the meat yield of sheep and raise consumer demand for lamb. This involves understanding what production and genetic factors drive the key virtues of lamb eating quality and human nutritional value. Through a combination of traditional selection techniques and cutting-edge genomic selection technologies, and work with abattoirs, this program is on track to deliver: New meat quality traits for yield, human health and eating quality which will be used to develop new sheep breeding values Securing and improving the nutritional claims of lamb as an excellent source of iron, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids A commercial test to differentiate odour levels associated with aged sheepmeat A system to electronically track carcases and cuts through the abattoir New methods to measure lean meat yield and techniques for improving quality within the abattoir Increase the value of lamb to producers, processors and consumers Already, new information on intra-muscular fat, lean meat yield, tenderness and colour has been generated, and is about to be released to industry starting with the Genomic Pilot Project rams. Wool quality The Wool Program has completed the calibration of the Wool Comfort Meter and the Wool Handle Meter. Plans are underway to move to commercialisation of these two measurement systems and it is anticipated that they will be well received by the supply chain focusing on next-to-skin lightweight knitwear. There has also been good progress in the white wool research program where post-farm processing research has identified a pathway to produce much whiter wool fabric. There is also good news on photo-yellowing as preliminary research suggests that there may be new methods for improving photostability. Education and training The Sheep CRC is also looking to the future needs of industry by ensuring there are skilled specialist scientists and advisors through a comprehensive postgraduate and agricultural consulting training. So far, 26 postgraduate students have accepted scholarships and commenced their studies. The last round of scholarships attracted another 15 applicants, the highest number of any Professor James Rowe. single application round, indicating a re-building interest in sheep production. Late last year 31 students completed the core unit of the Graduate Certificate in Rural Science (Agricultural Consulting) course, which is designed to build the business analysis and enterprise planning skills needed for professional agricultural consulting. The Sheep CRC urges all producers to make use of the information and products coming out of the CRC s research and development program. The best starting point is to visit our website ( where there is detailed information about a number of products and how to contact us. Page 18 Dohne Australia 2011

19 SOUTHERN DOHNE BREEDERS GROUP DD DOHNES GLENAROUA HAVELOCK PARK KARDINIA MACQUARIE UARDRY Leading genetics from some of the most prominent Dohne studs in Australia 5500 STUD EWES 1500 RAMS SOLD ANNUALLY 2011 CALENDAR AUSTRALIAN SHEEP & WOOL SHOW 15th - 17th July Bendigo, Victoria ARCADIAN FIELD DAY 19th July Geelong, Victoria HAMILTON SHEEPVENTION 1st & 2nd August Hamilton, Victoria BAIRNSDALE RAM SALE 30th August Bairnsdale, Victoria UARDRY DOHNE PERFORMANCE SALE 1st September Hay, New South Wales 6 TH KARDINIA ON PROPERTY RAM SALE 15th September Corowa, New South Wales 8 TH MACQUARIE ON PROPERTY RAM SALE 28th September Warren, New South Wales PREMIER DOHNE STUD SIRE SALE 11th October Adelaide, South Australia 6 TH ANNUAL NARACOORTE INVITATION RAM SALE 19th October Naracoorte, South Australia 7 TH ANNUAL VICTORIAN INVITATION SALE 21st October Ballarat, Victoria 8 TH ANNUAL GLENAROUA RAM SALE 25th October Glenaroua, Victoria 3 RD ANNUAL TASMANIAN INVITATION RAM SALE 3rd November Campbell Town, Tasmania John Nadin, MACQUARIE Bruce Barnes-Webb, DD DOHNES Alistair Greenshields, GLENAROUA Don Mills, KARDINIA Ben Lane, UARDRY Craig Robertson, HAVELOCK PARK

20 Easy choice when all added up By TRINITY GOLDING INTRODUCING the Dohne breed and a new feeding system has increased lamb survival rates and profits for the Boyne family. Peter Boyne, together with his brother Richard and his wife Fran and their two children Shane and Reece own 8000 hectares in the Koorda district in WA and over the last four years have undergone a transformation of the Dohne kind. Due to the dry seasonal conditions and management reasons the Boynes have recently made the decision to phase out their Merinos and slowly breed up to a pure Dohne flock. The family now mates 1000 Merino and Dohne- Merino cross ewes to Dohne rams and 500 Merino ewes to Suffolk rams. Our goal is to mate 2000 ewes to Dohne rams next year, Peter said. The Dohne is a hardier breed than the Merino and can basically look after itself in tough conditions. The Dohne offers the Boyne family the full potential of a dual purpose meat and wool sheep. We can t justify breeding crossbred lambs anymore because the Dohne lambs bring in more money, Peter said. They weigh as much, or more, than the crossbred lambs and they have the advantage of the meat as well as the wool. A large yarding of 2.5yo F1 Dohne ewes on the Boyne s property at Koorda. When purchasing Dohne rams to join with the ewes in January at a 1.5 per cent mating rate the Boynes source their genetics from local Dohne studbreeders Ian and Steph Longmuir, Mollerin Rock Dohne stud. I look for the same things that I would look for in a Merino when selecting Dohne rams, Peter said. I focus on wool quality and this coming season I will look closely at the wool cut. In October last year the Boynes produced their first line of Dohne wool. Peter said there was a noticeable difference between the micron and wool cut. Our F1 Dohne ewes averaged 21 micron while our Merino ewes average 23 micron, Peter said. But although the Dohne ewes produced a finer micron wool it coincided with slightly less wool cut. With the use of Dohne genetics the Boyne family is now breeding a large-framed, plain-bodied sheep with fewer wrinkles. They are also in the process of implementing lick feeders to their operation. Peter said the initial introduction was only last year when they bought four lick feeders from Advantage Feeders and converted three Moylan feeders into lick feeders. They have revolutionised how you can feed your Peter Boyne said the family could no longer justify breeding crossbred lambs because the Dohne lambs brought in more money. stock, Peter said. There is no mismothering when using lick feeders and the paddock feed lasts a lot longer because the sheep are not running around trying to get tucker into their stomachs. Conveniently the family puts all their seconds from the crops into the lick feeders for the sheep. It s cost effective and we know exactly what we are feeding our sheep, Peter said. Another advantage is we are able to add a stock mineral mix to it. The combination of the new lick feeders and the easy-care Dohne has allowed the Boynes to concentrate on the 6000ha cropping operation in peak season. Peter said they would like to run more sheep if the seasons improved. Over recent years the Boyne family has changed its lambing period from March- April to June-July and has seen a significant change in lambing percentages. Since moving our lambing dates we have increased our lambing percentage by 15pc, Peter said. We now achieve a 100pc lambing rate because it has helped with the transportation of the ewes before lambing if dry seasons are an issue. Page 20 Dohne Australia 2011