No doubt about Dohnes

Initially running Merino ewes crossed to prime lamb sires, the family decided to make the switch to Dohnes to get a meatier and heavier lamb.

Brothers Peter and Stephen Agnew, and Peter's son David, run the family property at Stansbury on Yorke Peninsula.

They crop 1700 hectares a year - 220ha of wheat, 1430ha of Hindmarsh barley and 50ha of Latrobe barley - on a mix of their own, leased and sharefarmed land.

A further 40ha is sown to a blend of medics for sheep feed on an annual basis.

Their 700 ewes make up an important part of the family enterprise, with a one-year cereal-pasture rotation in place.

Cropping and sheep are run as a 50:50 split.

While Dohne rams were initially crossed over Merino ewes, 10 years later the flock is 100 per cent Dohne bloodlines.

Rams are bought-in from nearby Babirra Stud, Stansbury.

The Agnews aim to sell 22 kilogram to 23kg lambs to Woolworths at six-months.

In the past 12 months, lambs sold to $140 at 22-23kg and to $170 at 28kg.

"We purchase a specific type of ram with very little consideration given to wool," Peter said.

"It is all about the carcase with a big emphasis on yearling body weight estimated breeding values."

Selecting for these characteristics has paid off at an early age, with lambs achieving good weights at six-months.

* Full report in Stock Journal, July 31, 2014 issue.