Producing lambs in marginal environments without the need for additional resources is one of the strengths Red Meatmaster breeders are aiming to highlight as they embark on a collective effort to grow the nation's flock.
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A group of breeders from across SA gathered with breed creator Denis Russell near Burra recently to discuss growth barriers, but also the opportunities on offer.
The genesis of the Red Meatmaster began at Mr Russell's Genelink operation at Parilla more than a decade ago where he crossed Damaras - which were being used to produce boat sheep - and Wiltshire Horns.
He was impressed with the progress of the resulting females and finally added in some Dorper genetics for added muscle to suit the Australian trade.
"We were working out of 12 inch (300mm) rainfall country and the sheep that we had before that couldn't handle the conditions and out of peak periods they had to be turned over and destocked," Mr Russell said.
"When we started breeding African sheep we found we could breed and grow them out as long as we watched our stocking rate."
Mr Russell said targeting Red Meatmaster spread across marginal areas was something the breeders at the Burra gathering, organised by Riverview Shedding Sheep's Mick Flak, agreed was achievable.
"There's a number of breeders around doing things on the quiet and, with Mick's initiative, we decided to start letting people know what was going on and get breeders together to discuss our barriers and bonuses and start working together," he said.
"One of our growth opportunities is that people are taking high performing sheep out into marginal country expecting they're going to increase their production, but they don't have the resources to gain that production.
"We think there's an opportunity there for people to back off some of the production goals a bit and use Red Meatmasters to produce lamb in that environment rather than having to finish them somewhere else."
While Mr Russell said while steady progress had been made in growing the flock over the past decade, some longstanding challenges remained.
He said livestock agents had been hesitant to accept a breed that didn't conform to traditional trade and it took time to shift a farmer's mindset.
"We have found, particularly with the Reds, is that anyone that takes the time to actually look at them tends to get a grip on what they can do," Mr Russell said.
"Not all breeds are for all environments. We think this breed is tailored for the marginal environment and can be run without many additional resources."
Meatmasters pass breed for environment test: Flak
Running a sheep enterprise at Worlds End, south east of Burra, has given Mick Flak an insight into the capabilities of different breeds.
He is currently running Red Meatmasters, a line of white Meatmasters with Damaras for genetic diversity and to breed a new line of animals, and also running SheepMasters, the breed founded by former WA Merino breeder Neil Garnett.
"I'm on the wrong side of Goyder's Line and we can't run a Merino here," Mr Flak said.
"These animals are ideal for the environment here because of their grazing habits and durability."
He agreed that promoting the breed's capability in marginal country would help propel its growth. The breeders group will also look at tinkering with breeding to suit different environments from the harsh coastal conditions of Kangaroo Island to arid conditions in the north.
"It's a sheep for environment situation where the Meatmaster comes into its own in this semi-arid and highly arid country," Mr Flak said.
"It's production power per acre leaves other breeds in the dust. The animals are in good condition in what we'd consider some of the tougher times and now is a really good example."
Mr Flak pointed to a case in NSW where Red Meatmasters had turned "useless country" into productive land.
The breed was adopted successfully in the Central West where grazing of St Johns wort weed had been causing primary photosensitisation symptoms in pale coloured areas of sheep like Australian Whites and Dorpers.
"There's a lot of interest around the Red Meatmaster," Mr Flak said.
"Everything from harsh grazing environments to other environments where animals can't be grazed.
"This (the breeders gathering) is the beginnings of us looking at everyone's individual environments and figuring out which animals suit those environments."
