MORE meat and wool per hectare is being produced as a result of a six-year production overhaul at the Brady family's Jallukar Park property in western Victoria.
The financial pressure of acquiring a neighbouring property in 2009 motivated the Brady's to squeeze more from their Merino operation by fine-tuning their production process.
Simon and Yvette Brady with their children Tom, 17, Sarah, 15 and Isabelle, 13, run 5500 Merinos across their 1380 hectare property at Rhymney, near Ararat.
The solution, which has seen a dramatic lift in fertility and lambing weights, was linked to their genetics and nutrition focus – enabling them to produce more meat, increase wool quality and cut while turning-off their lambs earlier.
The changes began with the selection of new genetics – focusing on studs that target large frames, quality meat and premium wool – with Ridgway Merinos, Lameroo, SA ticking all the production boxes.
To fast track the change in bloodlines, the Brady's moved to a split joining so they could spend more money on less rams by joining twice a year. They invested in 12 elite performing Ridgeway rams which were used across half the flock in summer and the remainder in autumn for a April/May and July/August lambing.
"(The stud) has been fantastic in helping us select the right rams to get the genetic gain we are looking for by using (Ridgway principal) Ric Ridgway's in-depth knowledge of the rams he has to offer."
Ridgway will be selling rams at the Sheepvention, Hamilton annual pen of five ram sale next month.
"Fertility has increased from 85 per cent to 98pc marked, or 134pc scanned in lamb," Mr Brady said.
"We've lifted fertility because we selected for that plain bodied type sheep and have found them more fertile with less trouble at lambing."
The operation has shifted from a traditional western district Merino operation, which matures in its second year, to an early maturing lamb setup that is turned-off by 12 months-old, targeting 22 kilogram carcase weight.
The flock averages 19 micron and cuts av 6.5kg. Lambs are shorn twice in the first year, in October and February, which has boosted fleece growth by 5pc.
While genetics have played a major role in the production lift, it is the Brady's progressive finishing system which lifted their stocking rate to 12.5 dry sheep equivalent – double the region's average.
The property averages 475millimetres rainfall and has a phalaris base with light, rocky soil types.
Originally used as a pasture renovator to improve nitrogen in the soil, Arrowleaf clover, a temperate annual legume, has been used to fatten lambs post weaning.
Arrowleaf clover has extended the pasture-growing season by six weeks and provided quality feed of higher digestibility than subterranean clover during December and January.
The Brady's record growth of 130grams per day for the lambs grazing arrowleaf clover at stocking rates up to 30 lambs/ha.
They crop the 250ha sown arrowleaf area with predominantly wheat in alternating years, which Mr Brady said stimulated germination and managed weed control.
"I started putting merino lambs on the arrowleaf clover and it was staying green until Christmas – we weren't having to supplement feed until February. Since then we haven't looked back," he said.
"If you have lambs, doesn't matter if they are crossbreds or merinos you need a finishing system in a bad year.
"We have ordinary springs as a general rule so we needed a system other than Lucerne that gave me the flexibility to fit in with a crop and can be a dual purpose (pasture) renovator too."
Last year the property was challenged by dry conditions, receiving less than 250mm of rain.
"The Arrowleaf clover still grew 2.5tonne of dry matter in a bad year – it saved my merino lambs to a degree," he said.
"I've had a real thumper when it was still green in February so it's potential to grow dry matter is huge."
While the Brady's have ramped-up their system, it has not come at the cost of soil degradation with a significant renovation program undertaken annually.
Rotational grazing has also improved pasture growth, achieved by rotating stock on 20-30ha paddocks for 10 days before paddocks were rested for 20 days.
"The farm is profitable," Mr Brady said.
"Our transition has been successful and our ability to finish stock and get a premium is one of our profit drivers..
"Instead of selling lambs at 14kg we are getting them to 20kg, in similar time and with similar inputs, because we've got a better finishing system.
"Our next phase will be increasing ewe numbers – the more lambs you get, the more money you get – by having better pastures we can increase our capacity."
