Wharetoa Genetics November 2011

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1 The specialist breeder of Terminal and Maternal Sires for High Yielding Export Lambs Wharetoa Genetics November 2011 Didn t Ritchie and the rest of the World Cup squad do well, I am sure many of you have spent more time than usual in front of the TV enjoying the Rugby World Cup, Chris and I certainly did. What a time to be farming sheep. Never before have we seen prices for Meat and Wool such as are available at present. Lets hope these positive commodity prices can continue into the future. There are so many factors affecting the price we get. One thing that is not going to change in the foreseeable future is the supply and demand component for Meat and Wool. Meat is a high protein food, the population of the world continues to grow, so more food is needed. Those of you who lambed in early September this year had a few days that brought back memories of September The second half of September was generally pretty good though. Most people I have talked to describe their lambing as average, mainly due to higher ewe losses than normal. As we all know it is difficult to get everything right all at the same time and nature has a peculiar way of averaging things out. However Genetic Gain is permanent. It never goes away but is only physically shown when the environment allows it to be. In today s world we need to make sure our operations are structured to capture every dollar possible. We must have sheep that: Produce plenty of saleable lambs Grow to killable weights quickly Lambs that are high yielding Live Weight Dead Weight Carcase Saleable Meat and we must have a cost structure that is sustainable. We continue to breed our Terminal and Maternal breeds for sheep along these lines, using technology and science to aid us in the final selection of stock that is presented to you. In this newsletter I include some facts and figures and comments from clients whose flocks are performing very well and will also bring you up to date with the direction we are taking with our five SIL recorded flocks. In July of this year Julia Aspinall of Genetic Gains (SIL Bureau) Garth and Alliance Lamb Drafter David Turnbull did an analysis of our five recorded flocks. She found Data Integrity was excellent. We have made minor alterations to our processes so final data meets the requirements of modern day sheep farming. Wharetoa Maternal 2 Tooth Rams Garth & Chris Shaw Wharetoa RD 4 Balclutha Ph/Fax wharetoa@farmside.co.nz Cell

2 Wharetoa Genetics Breeding Options available to you: Texel: Fertility Mothering Ability Wool Myomax and Wormstar Tested Coopworth: Fertility Mothering Ability Wool Easy Care 1/2 Texel x 1/2 Coopworth: Fertility Conformation & Constitution Wool Meat Yield Wharetoa Maternal: Fertility Mothering Ability Excellent Milking Attributes Growth & Meat Meatmaker: Growth Meat High Yielding: Live Dead Carcase Saleable Meat Suffolk x Texel: Growth Meat Survival Identification

3 QUALITY + CONSISTENCY = GREATER PROFIT Alliance Group continue to assess Meat Yield using Via Scan technology. They also continue to work on systems that reward clients financially for high meat yielding lambs. This year the maximum additional payment for lambs at day of kill will increase from $5.25 to $6. It costs the same to kill a lamb that has a saleable meat yield at 50%, as one that is 60%, so from a meat company point of view, it makes sense to source high meat yielding lambs and reward suppliers accordingly. However at the moment the number one prority for meat companies is procurement. However as a ram breeder I still and always will believe that in the end producing a quality product will always win. A ram exhibiting good muscling and good conformation with progeny having carcass attributes of high saleable meat yield, tender, good colour and texture will always be a winner. Silver Fern Farms continues to work on and develop their Dexa X-Ray machine to assess meat yield. Alliance Group Client Supply Summary GM & CA Shaw The majority of these lambs were sired by Meatmaker Rams out of Commercial Coopworth x Texel Ewes Leg 21.10% yield and over 94% 95% 97% 94% Loin 13.50% yield and over 92% 91% 94% 96% Shoulder 16.40% yield and over 95% 97% 91% 92% Number of lambs with combined Leg, Loin and Shoulder all above threshold 87% 88% 88% 88% These results are in the top 5% of Alliance Suppliers Long standing client Murray Kennedy, Manager for Tim Story, Jedburgh Station, Southern Southland (18,500/su) comments: Things on Jedburgh are still going well with our Texel Romney cross ewes. At scanning we averaged 182% in our ewes and 88% in the hoggets (all hoggets were mated). We have not tailed yet, but wet dry ewe numbers are down from 16% last year to 5.5%, so it is looking like lambing has been relatively good, (touch wood!). We are starting to EID our maternal ewe flock with the emphasis being on muscling and repeat single/bearing ewes, other information will also be gathered. I am still mystified by the meat industry and why they have not started to pay for meat yielded from a carcass rather than the overall carcass weight, (we have the technology). Until this happens, good carcass meaty rams like Wharetoa Genetics will continue to subsidise the poorer breeds and breeders. The dairy industry doesn t pay in litres of milk does it?? Murray, Marcia, Holly and Cooper Kennedy Jedburgh Station

4 Terminal Rams Meatmaker (Poll Dorset x Texel) Recorded on S.I.L. for: GROWTH MEAT SURVIVAL Our Meatmaker Rams continue to perform very well in clients and our own commercial flock for Growth Rate and Meat Yield. Meatmakers conversion of grass to meat is very high as proven by Neville Jopson (Abacus Bio) a few years ago. We continue to CAT Scan ram hoggets to aid in the selection of High Meat yielding sires to progeny test. As kill weights get higher (20kg plus) Meatmaker lambs are still grading in the top paying grades. All Meatmaker rams for sale this year have been DNA tested for the Myomax and Wormstar gene. Craig & Anna Whiteside (Waiwera South) continue to use our Meatmaker Rams over their Coopworth ewes and also fatten additional trading lambs. 152% Lambs sold - Ewes Mated 24% drafted at Weaning Average 17.9kg (47% yield straight off grass) Average kill date all 2365 lambs 18th January Average Weight all 2365 lambs 21.9kg Trading Lambs 2300 Purchase - Average Kill Weight 21.0 Yet again Wharetoa Meatmaker have proven that they have the potentail to grow quickly out to heavy weights even under last seasons difficult fattening conditions, whilst staying within grading parameters. This has been proven with our own stock as well as several lines of trading lambs. This gives us the confidence to fufill heavy weight contracts now and in the future. Craig, Anna, Esther and Freya Whiteside 90 Meatmaker 2 Tooth Rams for sale at our ON FARM AUCTION on Friday 16th December % of Sale Rams MyoMax Gold.

5 MORE MEAT = MORE MONEY GUARANTEED Taffy Allan, Greenfield has used Wharetoa rams for many years Last year I used Myomax Gold Meatmaker Rams over my Coopworth x Texel ewes and was very pleased with the results: Lambing Date 5th September A Line of Single Lambs killed 24th November Yielded Live - Dead 49.8% Weaning 8th December 787 (33% Lamp Crop) Average Weight 18.55kg Balance Sold Store Average Live Weight 34kg (to enable farm to be converted to Dairy) Suffolk x Texel Selected for: GROWTH MEAT SURVIVAL They have meaty fast growing, easily identified progeny. I intend to continue to keep ewe progeny and stabilising this cross, so significant Genetic Gain can be made for Growth, Meat, Survival. I have started recording this flock on S.I.L. This year I had the first 2 tooths lambing and their progeny are looking promising. 70 Suffolk x Texel Rams for sale at our ON FARM AUCTION on Friday 16th December 2011

6 Maternal Rams Texel (MyoMax Tested) The main breeding objective for Wharetoa Texels are: Fertility Mothering Ability However as our numbers grow (this year I tagged 510 Pure and 7/8 Texel Lambs) more emphasis is being placed on Growth, Meat and Wool. Last January we showed our commitment to breeding superior Maternal Texels by paying $7200 for the top texel ram at the national sale in Christchurch. Records were used to aid us to identify the sire suitable for our requirements. The advantages of Texel x Lambs: Exceptional Vigour at birth (lamb survival) Higher resistance to internal parasites (less dags) High Meat Yielding Lambs Texel x Ewes are very robust, they handle climatic extremes very well. Texel Wool Along the grading up process from a base of high fert Coopworth ewes we have been aiming to breed a Texel with sound wool characteristics. I am happy with the wool on our Texels. With 1/2 Texel commercial sheep you may lose a little bit of weight of wool/sheep. The colour, length, and micron doesn t change much from the original breed you started with. 95% of Texel Rams for sale have fertility 200% Plus. All 2 Tooth Rams tested for Myomax meat gene and Wormstar. Carole and Peter Bee of South Wyndham have been using our Texel Rams over Romney Ewes for the last 2 years, and make the following comment: Last year (2010) we used Wharetoa Genetics Texel rams over our Romney ewes, with the aim of improving lambs meat yield. Previously with our Romney lambs we were getting 50% of our lambs above the combined threshold for Leg Lion Shoulder on our Alliance Group Supply Summary. Summary of first 2 drafts of Texel x Romney Lambs No. Lambs Dead Weight Meat Yield % Lambs Qualifying for Yield Quality Payments % 94% % 91% Hogget Lambing: Our first crop of Texel x Romney Ewe Hoggets scanned with 280 singles, 210 Twins, 55 dry. At lambing they were looked at once a day. We lost only two hoggets and very few had to be assisted. We are very impressed with the number of twins that have survived and the Hoggets are doing a great job of rearing their lambs. Carole and I are pleased we have made the move to cross breed with Texels. Carole and Peter Bee 70 Texel 2 Tooth Rams for sale at our ON FARM AUCTION on Friday 16th December % Sale Rams MyoMax Gold.

7 1/2 Texel x 1/2 Coopworth This flock is recorded on S.I.L. using Goal Traits: REPRODUCTION, SURVIVAL, GROWTH, MEAT, WOOL They are ideal for maintaining 1/2 Texel in Commercial Ewes Used as a Cross Breeding option (Progeny 1/4 Texel) All 1/2 Texel x 1/2 Coopworth Rams this year are out of Stud Coopworth 3,4,5 shear ewes Texel Sires used are: Myomax Gold High Fertility Allan and Karen Edwards, Moa Flat have used our 1/2 Texel x 1/2 Coopworth Rams for 13 years, and make the following comment: After 13 yrs of purchasing Garth and Chris Shaws Wharetoa rams we are very happy with their performance. We farm 445 ha at Moa Flat consisting 250 rolling with the balance steeper over sown gullies, altitude average 450m with southerly aspect. We run 5000 su all sheep. These are all Shaws 50/50 texel coopworth. We are pleased with their performance as dual meat and wool producers, they are productive with good mothering ability and handle our challenging winters well. For the last 6 yrs we have held a store lamb sale mid January. The 50/50 mix not only perform well for us, we get good feed back on there fattening ability, which brings us repeat buyers. Allan and Karen Edwards John and Janet Whiteside, Waiwera South are stabilsing their Coopworth x Texel with 1/2 Coopworth x 1/2 Texel Rams Now that we are getting rewarded for growing our lambs to higher weights, it is good to have a breed that has the ability to maximise this. Since we have been using Wharetoa Texels over our ewes, our average weight for all lambs sold in now over 20kg, with drafts of ram lambs regularly over 23kg with minimal downgrading. This combined with 150+ lambing percentage is very rewarding. John and Janet Whiteside John and Janet Whiteside 50 1/2 Texel x 1/2 Coopworth Rams for sale at our ON FARM AUCTION on Friday 16th December 2011

8 Wharetoa Maternal 1/2 Coopworth x 3/8 Texel x 1/8 Poll Dorset This flock is also recorded on S.I.L. using Goal Traits: REPRODUCTION, SURVIVAL, GROWTH, MEAT, WOOL All ewes in this flock are bred from stud Coopworth Ewes. The aim is to incorporate the excellent characteristics of each breed into one COOPWORTH - Fertility Wool TEXEL - Survival, Worm Resistance, Meat POLL DORSET - Milking Ability, Growth Last year I mated the females of this flock to 1/2 Coopworth x 1/2 Texel rams with the intention of stablising the flock at 1/2 Texel x 1/2 Coopworth. We continue to use the Pfizer Sheep 50K DNA technology in this flock. This makes the breeding values more accurate. Bruce and Margaret Stark, Wharetoa have used the Wharetoa Maternal for the last 2 years and make the following comment: We have been using Wharetoa Maternals for the last two years over our Coopworth and Texel ewes. Our average lambing percentage for the last five years: Lambs Sold - Ewe Mated 154% In the last 2 years our slaughter rates have risen 2kgs to average 19.3kg. Our mean killing date has moved forward dramatically with large numbers going at weaning in early December Bruce and Margaret Stark 35 Wharetoa Maternal Rams are for sale at our ON FARM AUCTION on Friday 16th December 2011

9 Coopworth Our Coopworths have been recorded on S.I.L since 1975 for: REPRODUCTION SURVIVAL GROWTH MEAT WOOL Three years ago we mated Texel x Meatmaker rams to some of our stud Coopworth ewes and evaluated the performance of the progeny. Even though we have been selecting for Survival, Growth, Meat and Wool for a large number of years in our Coopworths, the first cross progeny superceeded the pure Coopworths. The result has given me the confidence to fast track our cross breeding polices. The pure Coopworth is still a good sheep, but for a lot of you I think there are better options out there for you. We will still breed some pure Coopworths to meet client demand. Bryce and Liz Johnston, Rongahere have used our Coopworth Rams for many years: We have stayed with Garth and Chris s Coopworth Rams mainly because we have believed, if you have sheep, you have wool, so you may as well get as much quality wool as possible. This property has very good shelter, mainly natural. Easy care is high priority. At lambing time we look at them twice a day on a 2 wheeler motorbike and do as little as possible. Ideally we tail 130% in a month of lambing (no late lambers). We plan to get lambs away at kgs (last year kgs) each year. We aim to keep our farming systems as simple as possible and Garth and Chris s Coopworths suit this principle. Bryce and Liz Johnston 20 Elite Coopworth Rams are for sale at our ON FARM AUCTION on Friday 16th December 2011 Balance sold on farm in January 2012

10 Open Day Friday 2 December am pm The main objective of the open day is to let clients look at all the different breed options available to them from Wharetoa Genetics and to discuss issues that may be of concern to them. All sale rams will be on display. For an independent opinion of Wharetoa Genetics stock you can also contact: Rodger Keach - PGG Wrightsons Livestock Genetics (Otago) Ph or Gerard Shea - PGG Wrightsons (Balclutha) Ph or Ram Auction Friday 16 December 2011 Inspection from 10 am Our sale gives all farmers an equal opportunity to purchase Maternal and Terminal sires that will produce progeny that will maximise the profitability of your farming business. All production records will be available in the catalogue. Terminal Rams Midday Maternal Rams - 2 pm Texel 2 Tooth Rams QUALITY + CONSISTENCY = GREATER PROFIT

11 MORE MEAT = MORE MONEY GUARANTEED Summary In this newsletter we have profiled some of the Wharetoa Genetics clients who are doing a positive job in terms of productivity and profitability. As time moves forward different breeding options become available to farmers. This newsletter outlines Wharetoa Genetics options to you. Our sheep are bred with a no nonsense approach: They either perform for traits related to profitability or they are culled We used S.I.L. and modern scientific systems to identify and multiply elite genetics We use sound stockmanship practises We have a hands on approach to all systems used Sheep must be easy to work with and pleasing to look at All sale rams come from within the top 30% of ram lambs weaned. One of the benefits of ram breeding is hearing the sucess stories of clients using our rams. We are available at all times to discuss breeding matters with all. Chris and I would like to thank you for your ongoing support and would like to wish you and your families a Happy Christmas and Holiday period. We look forward to seeing you at our Open Day and Sale Day in December. Kind Regards Garth & Chris Shaw Website The specialist breeder of Terminal and Maternal Sires for High Yielding Export Lambs Garth & Chris Shaw, Wharetoa, RD 4 Balclutha Ph/Fax wharetoa@farmside.co.nz Cell

12 ON FARM AUCTION 19 December 2008, 12 Midday 16 December 2011, 12 Midday Inspection from 10am. Selling Agents: OPEN DAY: December 2nd 5, 2008, am -- 45pm New Zealands Largest Private On Farm 2 tooth Ram Sale. Wharetoa Genetics has the total genetic package, Maternal and Terminal, Wharetoa Genetics has the total genetic package, Maternal and Terminal, proven proven to produce profitable, fast growing High Meat Yielding lambs. to produce fast growing High Meat Yielding lambs. FOR SALE: Maternal FOR SALE: Maternal Texel 70 Texel Coopworth 20 Elite Coopworth Texel 50 Texel x Coopworth x Coopworth 35 Maternal Composite Meatmaker x Coopworth Terminal Terminal 90 Meatmaker Meatmaker 70 Suffolk x Texel Suffolk x Texel Garth & Chris Shaw, Wharetoa, RD 4 Balclutha Ph/Fax wharetoa@farmside.co.nz