Ultrasounds equate to profits

Each year farmers were facing rising input costs and the only way they could keep on top of this was producing "more from less" - specifically more lambs from their ewes, he said.

The industry average lambing percentage of 80 per cent was producing hardly enough ewes for replacements, let alone selection pressure on their flock, or surplus stock to sell.

"You can try and save a few dollars on a drum of drench or vaccine but you will struggle to reduce your major costs of shearing, fertiliser and rates," he said.

"If you can improve the survival of the number of lambs you already have, then this will reduce your cost of production. This is where ultrasound scanning information can help you improve your lamb survival."

Mr Ipsen, a speaker at last week's Sheep CRC Concept to Impact conference has scanned about 3 million ewes in the past 14 years in his business Ewe Wish.

Initially his clients were wet-dry scanning ewes but a large proportion had now changed their approach to scanning for multiples, which demonstrated previous lost productivity and lost opportunities.

Producers needed to concentrate their efforts into getting the nutrition of their ewes right prior to lambing, which provided more before looking for reproductivity.

Following the Lifetime Ewe Management program, producers had been able to improve lamb survival by at least 11-13pc through heavier birth weights, the amount of brown fat in newborn lambs, and the quality and quantity of colostrum.

The birth weights of lambs born as singles should be about 5 kilograms and only slightly less for twins.

It also enabled them put their efforts into managing the nutrition of their single- and multiple-bearing ewes.

The 2013 Nuffield scholar said that on the 800-hectare property he farmed with his parents, he had seen the results, increasing the number of lambs weaned from ewes joined, from 90-130pc in his 3000-ewe flock over the past five years.

He was using individual electronic identification technology, scanning for multiples and using Pedigree Matchmaker to identify ewes rearing their lambs and improve his flock's genetic reproductive performance. He was also able to remove those ewes costing the most money.

The next step forward was ultrasound scanning the foetal age of lambs and using electronic tagging and compatible software to record individual lifetime performance of ewes.

"I have several clients now who can tell you the pregnancy status of their ewes, the ewes that raised twins and the day their lambs were sold," he said.

"This is giving them information on which ewes were producing the greatest number of kilograms with greatest growth rates."

* Full report in Stock Journal, July 24, 2014 issue.