WESTERN Flat sheep producer Brentyn Francis has used Border Leicesters for decades to help spread risk in a difficult season.
Mr Francis runs 3000 Merino ewes on a 1740-hectare property and believes the key to a successful sheep operation is “not putting all your eggs in one basket”.
“My focus is mainly on wool production, but by using the Border Leicester ram over the ewes I get a profitable additional income,” Mr Francis said.
Mr Francis joins Border Leicester rams to 1500 Merino ewes to produce a first-cross ewe lamb.
“The first-cross ewe is in big demand and it helps to spread my income if the prime lamb market is down and the first-cross ewe lamb market is up,” he said.
For 18 years Mr Francis has used Border Leicester rams based on South East stud bloodlines, and most recently genetics from Paxton Border Leicester stud, Bordertown.
The remaining 1500 Merino ewes are joined to White Suffolk and Poll Dorset rams of Paxton and Bundara Downs bloodlines to produce progeny for the prime lamb market.
“The (Border Leicester) breed has definitely helped to produce higher lambing percentages and has better fertility. The lambs have better growth rates which then helps to produce a quality second-cross lamb,” Mr Francis said.
“It is a consistent breed so we have stuck with genetics that work well for us.”
Mr Francis’ lambing percentage averages 118 per cent.
Lambs produced from all Merino ewes are sold, with replacement Merino ewes are bought in from Moorundie Park, Gulnare, multiple Mid North producers and the Pinnaroo off-shears sale.
Merino-Border Leicester ewe lambs were previously sold at the Naracoorte first-cross ewe sale, but for the past four years they have been sold on AuctionsPlus at about 7 months old.
“The seasons in the past few years have been a bit tough and the ewe lambs have been sold about six to eight weeks earlier than usual,” Mr Francis said.
The Merino-Border Leicester wethers are grown out to about 18 kilograms dressedweight to 24kgdwt and sold direct to processors or through the saleyards, along with all the progeny of the White Suffolk and Poll Dorset rams.
After a slightly longer joining period of 10 weeks from November 14 onward, lambs begin to drop in about mid-April and are weaned onto lucerne crops to aid growth.
“I have seven centre pivots so the lambs graze the crops until I shut it up for seed – they are on it for about 10 weeks before they are sold,” Mr Francis said.
Mr Francis said despite some in the industry moving towards increased wool production, he will continue to spread risk in his business by utilising multiple breeds to produce a quality lamb.
