Far

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Far
Valley
DOHNE

• David Kain

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- Location - Arthur River Approx. 200 kms south
of Perth Rainfall 18 inches in last 20
years Primarily Mixed farming area.
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Far Valley Homestead
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Far Valleythe last 20 years
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• We lease nearly all our Land
• Traditional Merino Breeder
• Typical of area in and around Arthur River in
  the 80s and most of the 90s, all sheep, and
  very little cropping.
• Pig Producer for 30 odd years

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Lots of Bacon
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Far Valley Status in 1985

• Wool and Meat a good combination
• Had typical Collinsville Peppin cross sheep
• 80 - 85 Lambing
• Good plain ewes doing 22.5 micron

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• I was breeding my own Rams and had started to
  sell a few to interested farmers.
• Came 3rd in local ewe hogget trial in 1985.
• Was quite pleased with myself, definitely young
  and silly.

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The Judge

• When commenting on my ewe hoggets the judge
  said
• Great House, but what about the furniture.
• He was of course, referring to the wool on my
  sheep.

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• Registered as a Merino Stud in 1987.
• 1989 the Wool Corporation collapsed.
• Proceeded to put lots of quality furniture into
  the house.

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• By 1996, we came to the realization that the pig
  industry was facing imminent collapse.
• With 6 7,000 pigs on hand at all times we
  were very vulnerable.
• Because of corporate involvement the states sow
  herd had trebled in 12 months.
• We got out just in time.

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• By 1997, we had that much furniture on my sheep,
  that the walls were starting to crumble.

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• Lambing s had fallen to 75
• The flock had gradually become poorer doers and
  needed a lot more looking after.
• But the wool cut was great and the fibre, elite.

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Flock Description

• We had a 20 micron flock.
• Producing 36 kg.s of wool per hectare.
• We were running 8.9 d.s.e.s to the Hectare.

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VIABILITY????Nasty word isnt it.
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• Wool prices were still depressed and had been
  for 9 years.
• The future of the wool industry and more
  importantly ours were not looking bright.
• The bank manager was dropping in a little too
  often and monthly reports to the bank had become
  a way of life.

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• Leases continued their upward climb and were
  becoming very expensive.
• We had to do something that would reverse the
  trend and have some positive effect on income, or
  we were quite simply, out of business.

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Diversification

• We needed to put meat back into the equation on
  the farms.
• We needed to retain the wool component.
• Perhaps it was time to do more cropping.
• I was aware that the bank manager was having a
  few breathing problems, whenever our account
  crossed his desk.

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Relative meat and wool prices1960 to 2000
9.3 6.9
Cumulative increase Over the past 4
decades Sheep meat prices increased at a rate
34 faster than that of wool
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• Three very important things happened to change it
  all around.
• We got lucky - In 1998 commodity prices improved
  across the board.
• Export hay - I did 200 ha and got it through
  without rain on it.
• We found Dohnes.

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Why Dohnes?

• In the sheep industry, the Dohne is not
  recognized as being the best in any one
  particular area or trait.
• They certainly are not the biggest.

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• A Merino can cut more wool per head
• A Texel might have a better carcass.
• A pure White Suffolk might grow faster.
• A Finn might have more lambs.
• A Damara might be hardier or tougher.

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• But the Dohne is very good at all the above.
• It is a very uncomplicated sheep and as you
  learn more about the breed, you will understand
  better, how and why it can do what it does.
• It is the best multi purpose woolled sheep in
  the world today.

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1999 - became a Dohne Stud.

• We bought 70 recipient ewes carrying pure Dohne
  lambs to start us off.
• In process of converting to a full Dohne flock
  in the commercials.
• Moving through F1 and F2 status, but doing it as
  quickly as possible.

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F1 Commercial ewes just before mating in
2004Note Condition Score
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2004 Matings

• In 2004 we mated 4,106 F1 and F2 ewes. This
  included 1100 maidens
• We put the Dohne Rams in on the 30th January.
• We removed them on the 5th of March.
• A mating of 35 days.

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Pregnancy Facts

In the first month after conception, eye
muscle depth is set. In the last month of
pregnancy wool follicles are set.
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Pregnancy Scanning

• Employed a New Zealander to do the scanning.
• 2,956 ewes were carrying singles.
• 965 ewes were carrying twins.
• 185 were scanned as dry.

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• A conception rate of 119
• Note Condition score and Feeding regime prior
  to mating all important, but that is another
  issue.

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12 point mating program for autumn/early winter
lambing

• Get Rams ready 6 weeks prior
• Make sure ewes are isolated from rams.
• Inject wethers twice 7 days apart, put with ewes
  day 0.
• Days 7 to 14 -feed 500 grams lupins/head daily.
• Day 15 45 put up to 3 Rams in.

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• Day 45 - Remove Rams and Teasers from ewes.
• Day 85 - scan ewes ( Approx. 40 days pregnant).
• Identify 0, 1 multiples.
• Re mate your dry ewes?
• Special management for all multiples.
• Day 135 - Vaccinate ,Drench, give Vit E Sel ?
• Implement strategies to lift lamb survival,
  especially twins.

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Dohne F2 Ewe Hoggets
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YES, Dohne ewes can count.

• We separated the twinning ewes and ran them
  accordingly.
• Basically gave them 30 more country.
• I must make mention of the fact that when you
  put twin bearing ewes in a mob together they
  behave totally different. Very quiet.

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• Averaged 112 from ewes mated at Mulesing time.
• An increase of 37 in 5 years.
• We cut 39 kg/ha of 19.5 micron wool.
• An increase of 3 kgs in 5 years.
• We are now running 10.4 winter d.s.e.s/ha
• Up 1.5 in 5 years

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Other 2004 Achievements

• We came 3rd with a pen of F2s in the carcass
  competition at the 2004 Williams Expo.
• We were beaten by Texels, who won and Suffolk
  crosses who came 2nd.

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F2s in the Feedlot
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Carcasses at Hillside Meats
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• Part of the mob (223) went to Hillside Meats in
  March and the average carcass weight was 21.2 kg.
  And average price was 72.54 after costs.
• Reg Crabbe reported All the carcasses were of a
  very high standard and met the criteria for Q
  Lamb product range at Hillside.
• Reg is the Field Development Officer at Hillside
  Meats.
• Note 100 of the lambs met the Q Lamb criteria.
  None were over fat.

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F2 wether lambs
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• The heavier portion of the F2s went to DBC in
  March and averaged 76 in the yard. Once again
  they were very happy with them.
• Note Presentation of your lambs is critical.
• All the F1 2003 drop male lambs were left entire
  and sold to the shipping trade.
• Have a client from Bodallin who sold his April
  drop F1s at 50 kgs in September.

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2004 Wool

• In June this year had clients from Williams who
  won clip of the week, selling through Elders.
• On August 18th 2004 we sold the last part of the
  2003 Far Valley clip. The top price for a 21 bale
  line that averaged 18.8 micron, was a little over
  a 1,000 cents clean. Definitely up at the top end
  of the market.

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2005 Matings

• Total Mated 3,627 F1 F2 Dohne Ewes.
• mating Including 1395 maidens
• Joined for a 28 day.

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2005 Scanning

• 2084 were carrying Singles
• 1,277 were carrying multiples
• 266 were dry
• A Conception rate of 129

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2005 Foundation Flock Results

• A single mob 1,346 F1 Foundation ewes
• 561 Singles
• 726 multiples
• 59 dry
• Conception rate of 149

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2005 Lambing Results

• At Mulesing we finished with 115 lambs from
  ewes mated.
• Slightly disappointing, but there were issues
  with eagles, and a bad weather event during
  lambing.

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• 2005 F2 Ewes with F3 Lambs at Foot
• 29 Ha of pasture Crimson, Prima Gland, Dalkeith
  Clovers and a mixture of 5 Tetraloid Rye Grasses.
• 269 Maiden Ewes 16.2 WGDSE
• 317 Lambs 118
• Lambs birth weight 2 kg
• 80 day weight 36.1 kg
• Growth rate 451 grams/day
• Gross Margin Projection (Based on 2004 actuals)
• 269 ewes
• 5.75 kg wool _at_ 5.00 1546 kg
  7,734.00
• 317 lambs
• 1.5 kg wool _at_ 3.00 475 kg
  1,426.00
• 317 _at_ 70.00 average
  22,190.00
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  Total 31,350.00
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•  1,081.00 / hectare

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2005 Meat Results

• At Far Valley we have sold over a 1,000 F1 F2
  wether lambs to Hillside Meats from Feb to April
  2005.
• Been in Q Lambs top 10 producers of the month
  for all 3 months.
• At an average dressed weight of 22.2 kgs.
• Average price of 72.00

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2005 WAMMCO Results

• In April Far Valley participated in a WAMMCO
  trial and our lambs performed exceptionally well,
  with the Far Valley lambs dressing out at 26.1
  kgs and having amongst other things the
  largest EMA. The meat colour of the Dohne lambs
  were exceptional and the shape of the F2s
  carcasses led WAMMCO officials to accept Dohne F2
  lambs at prime lamb scheduled prices.

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Sheep and Cropping at Far Valley.

• Currently we are 50 sheep and 50 cropping.
• As we get to Purebred Dohne status in our
  commercials, intend to go 60 sheep and 40
  cropping.

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Current Status at Far Valley

• Maintaining our wool
• Putting more meat on faster growing lambs.
• Rapidly increasing lambing percentages.
• Introducing a lot hardier and easy care genotype
  into our flock.

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Proportion of Income from Sheep

• Five years ago we were roughly 70 income from
  Wool and 30 from Meat.
• Now 60 Meat and 40 Wool
• Not far from main objective,
• 70 meat and 30 wool

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HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT?

• Not necessarily from less wool cut per hectare.
• Increase in sheep sales.
• Increase in carrying capacity (better feed
  converters).
• In 2 words more production.

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Marketing Percentages

• More important than lambing or weaning
  percentages.
• That is the number of lambs sold per ewe per
  year.

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The Dohne Advantage

• Because you have the ability to sell your lambs
  faster, it also has a carryover effect on the
  number of ewes you can retain for breeding.

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FV04 0911 with Ewe Lambs
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HOW CAN THEY DO IT?

• How much grass in a glass?
• It requires 4 times the energy to grow a
  kilogram of wool versus a kilogram of meat.

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Dohne Selection Objectives

• The fundamental Objective is financial
• - to realise the highest possible profit.
• Flocks achieving the highest gross margins
  exhibit the following features
• 70 of total income is derived from meat
  production and 30 from wool.
• Ewes in full production comprise at least 60 of
  the total flock.
• High reproductive rates are being achieved.

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• FV04 0911
• Age 9 Months

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Dollars in Pockets

• To put it simply, our sheep are earning us more
  money and importantly, more of it is staying in
  our pockets.

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Time will tell the Story.

• 20 odd years have passed, but I think I can now
  say, yes, I do have a better sheep to deal with
  market fluctuations.
• It really is exciting to watch it happen on your
  own farm and then see the same thing happen on
  others.
• The Dohne is the fastest growing breed in
  Australia and let me assure you, it is here to
  stay.

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The growth of Stud Dohnes in Australia since 1998
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Index Improvement

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Data from Ag. WA Productivity Trials - 2004
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Far Valley 10 Year Plan

• To average 150 lambing across the entire
  commercial flock.
• To bring flock micron down to 18.5 (currently
  19.5)
• Maintain a W.P.P. of 6 (Wool Production
  Potential)
• i.e. 6 kgs of greasy wool per 100kgs bwt.

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The End
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