A DESIRE to maximise the profitability of their commercial prime lamb business has led a South East couple to high-performance New Zealand genetics.
Damien and Kirsten Croser, from Penola, believe they have found the answer in the Highlander maternal and Primera terminal composites - now registered breeds in their own right.
Focus Genetics has developed the two breeds from a base of more than 500,000 ewes using significant objective measurement and modern breeding technologies, such as DNA parentage testing and genomics for eating quality.
The result is a highly efficient, highly fertile maternal line and fast-growing terminal genetics, all aimed at weaning more kilograms of lamb per hectare.
"There are three ways for farmers to influence their profit: reducing cost-of-production, improving yields, more kilograms per hectare or increasing the price received/kg," Mr Croser said.
"There is not a lot we can do about price received, but we can do something about reducing our costs and producing more kilograms of lamb/ha."
The Crosers first struck upon the stabilised composites a couple of years ago when they were looking to increase the fecundity of their Merino and first-cross ewe flocks.
They had also switched the majority of their flock from autumn to spring lambing to better match the natural cycle of their sheep and match feed demand to the pasture growth curve.
"We were achieving about 140 per cent lambing and had been up to 165pc using the Booroola gene before we started chasing conformation and lost some of our fertility," he said.
"The exciting thing is that the Highlander ewe lambs scan at 130pc, the 1.5 year olds at 180pc and mature ewes at 205pc, so with these benchmarks we are looking at an extra 30-40pc more lambs weaned (with the majority of the drop just twin lambs) under commercial conditions."
The Crosers initial plan was to buy rams already being bred at Murnong Farming, Vic, but because of biosecurity restrictions they were unable to bring sheep into SA, prompting them to import the embryos.
They have now become SA's first multipliers of Highlander and Primera Genetics.
So far, they have undertaken two embryo programs with the oldest of these lambs four months of age.
The Crosers plan to import more embryos and become long-time suppliers of Highlander and Primera genetics.
"It has been a slow process, but we now have access to some of the most recent and best genetics available from Focus Genetics, one of the world's biggest red meat genetic companies.
They have been impressed with the fast growth rates and conformation of the maternal Highlander lambs.
"They are outperforming our autumn drop second-cross lambs," Damien said.
"Our target turn-off weight is an 18-24kg domestic lamb, but with the Highlander and Primera cross we should get to our target weights three months earlier, if not more," Kirsten said.
"Some of the Highlanders are already at their target weight at 4mo."
* Full report in Stock Journal, September 11, 2014 issue.