AN ESTIMATED $1 billion in profit is being lost in the sheep industry because marking rates have not reached scanning rates.
Sheep industry consultant Jason Trompf said the lag in having live lambs weaned and productive in the industry was hurting the bottom line.
Speaking at a sheep focus workshop convened by Livestock SA at Snowtown on Friday, he said in recent years, the sheep industry had managed to increase its marking rate by about 10 per cent nationwide - from 80pc to 90pc.
While part of this came through improved on-farm practices and a run of better seasons, a significant factor was also the structural shift in the industry as the number of non-Merino ewes increased.
But with the industry aiming to grow the national flock by 6pc from the present 64 million head, Dr Trompf said that would only be achievable if marking rates reached 100pc, Australia-wide.
"That is doable but it hasn't happened before," he said.
He said while scanning rates were often nearing 130pc, the industry average remained at 90pc marking, with that gap worth an estimated $1b.
"There is not one opportunity that comes near this and we've got to stop what's slipping through our fingers," he said.
"There is not another issue that has got us $1b from going from current practice to best practice."
He said producers needed to be more aware of how many of their ewes were actually rearing a lamb.
"The definition of a ewe is to reproduce and rear a lamb, otherwise it might as well be a wether," Dr Trompf said.
He said part of the issue was that much of the industry has been focused on "the boys", or breeding and investing in better rams.
"But the jewel in the crown is the female - we have to design animals to meet a highly variable environment," he said.
Dr Trompf said the sheep industry had reached a crossroads.
He said Australian Sheep Breeding Values could play a part but it was important not to just chase lean meat yield or high fleece weights if it came at the expense of the resilience of the animal.
"An extra kilogram of wool won't necessarily help lamb survival," he said.
"Yearling clean fleece weight won't matter if the lamb doesn't survive."
He said it was also important to ensure that feeding programs were targeted to meet the needs of pregnant ewes.
"Half the reason we scan is to set up paddock allocation and nutrition, so we need to make sure we're using that information," he said.
He said maiden ewes were another potential area for growth that the industry needed to consider as it looked to increase the size of the national flock.
Dr Trompf said a focus on genetics had managed to increase wool cuts by 18pc but in that same time, there had only been a 1pc gain in reproduction, suggesting there needed to be a focus on improving that next.
Start the day with all the big news in agriculture. Sign up here to receive our daily Stock Journal newsletter.