DESPITE experiencing huge losses in the Kangaroo Island bushfires, Duncan sheep producer Josh Graham says there has been a few silver linings to come out of the devastating event.
But Mr Graham, who also runs the Glencorrie Border Leicester stud, said they were on track for their best-ever lambing.
"Our Merinos (up to 153 per cent) nearly outdid our crossbreds (157pc) at scanning," he said.
"A fire-affected flock of Merinos still hit 146pc, while our stud ewes, which probably got hit the hardest, still recorded 186pc, with only about 2pc dry.
"It was the first year that we have fed out mainly silage so whether that helped? Or that our crossbreds went on stubbles at our other property on the Yorke Peninsula?
"Our ewes have never been so fat and the weather has been unreal.
"It will help towards us having to breed back up."
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Mr Graham said all their agistment sheep had returned to the property.
They were now running about 1800 Merinos, 1500 crossbreds and 200 stud ewes.
The new house and shed pads were down, with the plans awaiting council approval.
"We hope to get started on the rebuild within 2-3 weeks," Mr Graham said.
"It had always been in the plans to build a new shearing shed, so the fires did us a bit of a favour."
They were also about halfway through fencing, after losing about 100 kilometres in the fires.
"We have shifted a few paddocks, made a few smaller, to better suit our feeding rotation," he said.
Glencorrie Border Leicester stud will still hold its annual ram sale on the Yorke Peninsula in early October.
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Alisha Fogden
Journalist at Australian Community Media newspapers since 2007.
Journalist at Australian Community Media newspapers since 2007.
