THE Lifetime Ewe Management (LTEM) program at Nareen Station, Coleraine, has lifted the breeding flock's performance by 10 per cent or 2000 lambs.
The program focus' on condition scoring prior to joining through to after scanning, pasture and nutrition assessment and best practice animal management has increased lambing performance and wool production.
Nareen Station runs 90,000 dry sheep equivalent across three properties, Nareen and Barrama at Coleraine and Boyong, Robe, South Australia, totaling 7500 hectares.
The high rainfall Victorian properties receive on average 680 millimetres (27 inch) annually and operate a 22,000 Merino ewe flock, averaging 19-micron and 1500 cow beef cattle herd, with sister property Barrama.
The business has grown at an average 7pc annual land expansion through efficient management of healthy animals and emphasis on cash flow management.
Farm manager Grant Little said part of the recent growth has stemmed the LTEM program, which they have conducted since 2007, and had revolutionised the operation's productivity.
"It has given us, all our senior staff, the opportunity to understand the ewes needs and what her requirements are in any given point in her cycle," Mr Little said.
The motivation to participate in the program stemmed from contradicting advice about stocking rates as well as a goal to lift lambing percentage from 70pc to 90pc in that year.
"It was a two-fold decision to do the program," Mr Little said.
"The high stocking rate was an issue with advisors saying we need more stock but we felt we were already living on the edge, all day every day, chasing problems that infiltrated the flock.
"With that initial mob of sheep we ran light in the program and saw a great result while our other commercial sheep were struggling at the time due to the higher stocking rate – that was the catalyst for us."
To date, Nareen and Barrama stations have lifted the flock number from 18,000 to 22,000 and lambing to 91pc over a five-year average.
Ewe mortality has reduced from 4.5pc to 2.3pc – a saving that Mr Little said quantifiable on the bottom line.
While supplementary feeding has almost doubled, Mr Little said half of the input costs were returned by the extra wool being cut.
Rams are shorn in December for a March joining with all rams checked for the 'five T's' – teeth, tossle, toes, testicles and torso.
Good ram preparation leading up to joining is vital, which Mr Little said ensured ewes had the best chance to achieve conception rates with a tight joining and lambing period.
Rams are checked for lameness, flystrike, fighting injuries and need to be in optimum body condition. Maiden ewes are weighed in December according to their weight and fed to a weight of at least 45 kilograms, prior to the March joining.
Mature ewes are condition scored in January, with all ewes fed prior to and during joining.
All ewes are scanned as twins, singles and drys and maintained at around a condition score of three.
Mr Little said condition scoring after scanning was important to identify light ewes and to also look after twins and singles separately.
Weaning is achieved at 12-13 weeks and put onto good pasture, with wether weaners onto Lucerne prior to sale at 16-20 weeks of age.
"Ultimately your business needs your sheep and ewes to perform, so it is about limiting those volatile ups and downs and seasonal influences. We use condition scoring and feeding as a tool to monitor and measure those changes," Mr Little said.
"Profitability of the business is based on surplus sheep sales so every one of those sheep we can sell is money in the bank and that is our income."
The new stocking rate of 12.8DSE/ha puts Nareen Station just above the Western District stocking rate average.
Mr Little said the stocking rate was about risk mitigation which was a key business driver.
"We have some scale in our favour which is a competitive advantage but it also makes us too big to have a higher stocking rate if animals are on the edge," he said.
"If there is a problem with a disease or worm outbreak, or environmental issues with a long rain period or prolonged dry spell, it would be very difficult to manage our way through.
"We found that having those animals in better nick buys you more time.
"We constantly monitor stocking rate and try and get to a comfortable level but we don't think we have got it right at the exact point because it is so variable."
Nareen Station conducts a jackaroo program training young members of the staff though practical on-farm work through the Rural Industries Skill Training in Hamilton.
They currently employ two students from Marcus Oldham College who are undergoing their gap-year.
"It is about the energy and enthusiasm young people bring to the business and we also believe it is our duty to pass on our knowledge and experience to the next generation," Mr Little said.
The operation places a strong emphasis on being environmentally responsible, planting trees every year for stock and landcare.
"We produce healthy animals in a low stress grazing environment," Mr Little said.