Labour Efficient Sheep Systems

September, 2023

The average sheep producer is around 64 years old and often struggles to find enough help on the farm.

When we look at the facts on declining sheep numbers, it highlights why many producers are rethinking their operations. For some, sheep are too labour-intensive, and the current lack of strong economic returns may drive them to switch enterprises. The lure of simpler operations, such as beef, is real – especially in regions like New England, where many producers have shifted away from sheep over the past two decades.

However, lamb still has more potential than other major proteins (beef, pork, and chicken) because it faces less competition, but the manner in which we produce them needs to change.

Wool needs to go on a large percentage of Australia’s sheep.

Wool is now a significant cost for sheep producers. The number of available shearers is unlikely to increase, sheep are getting bigger and stronger, and there is no sign that shearing costs will go down.

However, the cost of wool is not just about shearing. Crutching, dagging, and blowfly prevention also take a lot of time each year. We rarely discuss the production losses linked to shearing and other wool-based tasks.

Moving to shedding sheep is appealing, but it requires substantial investment to match the production (growth, fertility) of the Primeline Maternal flock and to reach similar ease of management for drenching and foot health. In our experience, the best shedding sheep still lag behind Primeline Maternal sheep, though we are seeing promising outliers in all traits.

With focused selection pressure and new technologies – such as sexed semen, embryo transfer, and genomics – performance will improve rapidly. We estimate that by 2027, half of our maternal rams will be shedding. Over time, a shedding flock will likely lower production costs significantly.

Many husbandry costs can be removed in seedstock.

‘Training should be so hard the game should be easy’ – from my former rugby days.

The process of testing and selecting seedstock must be relevant to commercial operations, with a focus on reducing labor and costs in lamb production. Unfortunately, much of the past century’s selection happened in “perfect” environments (like show sheds), which did not reflect the real-world conditions faced by most producers.

From the beginning, we aimed to produce seedstock under commercial conditions, at higher stocking rates than many of our clients. Over time, we have experimented with ways to reduce costs by adjusting husbandry processes. Since 2003, we have only summer-drenched mature maternal ewes once (for barber’s pole). In 2023, we decided not to drench any mature ewes at all unless their worm egg count exceeds 1000 during late pregnancy. We recognize this may lower production on average and that some ewes will fall behind, but many others in the same group will maintain strong weaning weights, even with high worm counts. By collecting data in these challenging conditions, we can identify and reward high-performing, low-cost sheep.

A major priority is maintaining single contemporary groups wherever possible. In many stud programs, ewes in poor condition are often given extra feed, leading to artificially high performance results and more expensive sheep. Similarly, simply culling ewes with poor foot structure or lameness helps reduce production losses linked to foot problems.

Ultimately, the seedstock sector needs a rapid shift in thinking because producers bear the cost of inefficient or non-commercial breeding practices. Selecting sheep that thrive in low-cost environments benefits commercial flocks and will be a key factor in driving down the cost of production industry-wide.

How To Get To Shedding: The Best Strategy

September, 2022

Transitioning to a Primeline shedding flock is a common question for many clients and prospective clients. In our experience, moving to shedding within Primeline Maternal flocks usually takes two or three crosses (though some may do it in a single cross).

The key question is how to make this transition quickly while managing compromises along the way. First, note that current shedding sheep lag behind Primeline Maternal sheep for several production traits (such as fertility and growth). Second, shedding sheep generally have lower marbling, which does not align with our broader LAMBPRO breeding goals.

While these factors may influence short-term decisions, the good news is that we already have fully shedding maternal genetics (with no outside breeds) and access to advanced technology (sexed semen, embryo transfer, and genomics). This will accelerate development, and the principles of population genetics will help us deliver improved shedding sheep for our clients.

For those clients with Primeline Maternal ewe flocks looking to start this process, we recommend beginning with the 20% of ewes in your flock that already show some shedding traits. By focusing on that smaller group first, you can refine the genetics before expanding to the entire flock. While the transition market for these ewes may be limited initially, early adopters will likely see high demand once the process is complete.

Market development for Primeline Shedder lambs will continue under the Primeline Maternal brand, working closely with end users to build demand for Primeline Shedder lambs at slaughter.

Labour: The Achilles Heel for Agriculture

September, 2022

Labour shortages are affecting every sector of the Australian economy. From McDonald’s offering a thousand-dollar sign-on fee, to business leaders pleading with the government for improved work visas and migration policies, it’s clear there aren’t enough workers to go around.

The sheep industry is no exception – every link in its supply chain faces chronic labour shortages, from restaurant staff to truck drivers to abattoir workers and shearers. This could become a serious challenge for agriculture in the short to medium term. Meanwhile, sheep operations continue to grow more intensive, with modern management practices adding even more tasks. It’s worth noting that the average Australian sheep farmer is now 64 years old.

By contrast, cropping operations are trending toward higher efficiency, thanks to rapid technology adoption. This has led to fewer labour requirements per hectare. Beef, another major competitor for land, has also made significant changes to reduce labour, with many businesses now running 1,000 cows per worker.

Sheep production needs to adapt by doing more with less: using less feed (through higher stocking rates) and relying on less labour. Two decades of selecting for lower-labour sheep is paying off, and the rising market share of Primeline Maternal sheep reflects their easier management requirements. The move toward shedding sheep aims to further reduce labour demands.

In my view, the future of the sheep industry will be heavily influenced by labour availability, and we’re already seeing its impact on the flock. Simple, low-cost sheep systems consistently come out on top. We remain focused on decreasing the labour needs of our lamb systems to stay competitive and sustainable in this evolving landscape.

Breeding Insights: Primeline Shedder Background

September, 2022

LAMBPRO has had shedding sheep in our Primeline Maternal program since 2008. This can be traced back to LAMBPRO has had shedding sheep in our Primeline Maternal program since 2008. This can be traced back to two heavily used rams that likely carried a shedding gene from the Dorper breed, which was introduced into White Suffolk sheep in the late 1990s.

The Primeline Shedding program is about more than just labour and shearer shortages. It focuses on reducing long-term labour in sheep production, especially by cutting down on crutching, dagging, and the potential for blowfly issues. It follows a “little cattle” focus by providing sheep that require less labour but still deliver high production of kilograms per hectare.

The path to a Primeline Shedder is to combine our partially shedding sheep with a few strategic infusions to fast-track the process. However, we must address four main challenges to ensure long-term success:

The path to a Primeline Shedder is to combine our partially shedding sheep with a few strategic infusions to fast-track the process. However, we must address four main challenges to ensure long-term success:

1. Fertility
2. Foot Health
3. Worm Resistance
4. Marbling

All these traits are generally lacking in most shedding sheep. Our approach to Primeline Shedders is the same as with our other breeding programs: using large contemporary groups, artificial breeding, and collecting accurate data (especially on shedding traits) to drive rapid improvement.

We expect strong demand for these shedding sheep, with a good number of rams likely to be available.