Environment shapes production, Redesdale farmer

On the very edge of the granite belt country, which stretches throughout north-central Victoria, sheep have been a natural fit since the land was first settled.

“I think when God was making this part of the world, He must have had superfine wool sheep in mind,” Mr James said.

“It doesn’t really lend itself to too much else.”

Although the James family had dabbled in cattle, Merino’s had been the production staple, for the 1295 hectare main property.

A further 121ha was leased.

“Sheep have always been the cornerstone of the business, although we have had cattle enterprises over the years,” Mr James said.

“I reckon the gross margins for sheep stack up against cattle, particularly going into dry years, where sheep seem easier to manage than cattle, in this area.”

Coliban Estate run about 3600 ewes, 1100 wethers and 2500 mixed sex weaners.

“We are still recovering a bit from the 2014-15 dry year, we offloaded twice our surplus number of sheep, for the year, and so we are recovering from that.”

Initially, Wanganella bloodlines were used at Coliban Estate, before the James’ switched to a Nareeb-based self-replacing flock, in the late 1990’s.

“We then made the decision to fine up, following the advice of Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) along with other people,” Mr James said.

“We thought the logical step was to move to Beverley, given they are next door and certainly earned themselves a good reputation for breeding sheep and producing the fine wool, which seems to be sought after by the traditional buyers in Italy.”

The first draft of Beverly rams was bought in 2000, coinciding with the lease of a further 400ha, and the introduction of fine wool Merryville ewes.

“We put Beverley rams over those and also over the Nareeb ewes, and bred to that type.”

There was a short dalliance with first cross ewes, and bringing in young wethers from the Riverina

But when Mr James said he came home, from jackarooing and agricultural college, he was keen to get back to breeding Merino ewes again.

Initially, he said he questioned the decision to go down the superfine route.

“There was no reward for that quality there, for a long time, but we have just recently become involved with the New England incentive.

“New England has been buying these lots, which suit their types of high tensile strength, which is not overly long.

“We have been lucky enough to take advantage of their forward prices they have been offering, for fine wool, and it’s certainly given, justified our decision to go fine.”

Spikes in superfine prices kept Coliban Estate hanging in, although meat values were contributing to returns in a much greater way than they once did.

“It was just a matter of pulling your horns in and managing as best you could, without losing too much production, along the way.

“The meat component of our total receipts helped get us through those years when superfine wool was in the doldrums.

“These rams are capable of producing a two year old wether that can make the grade for live export with live weights over 60 kilograms.”

Now, the decision to stick with superfine has paid off, with a recent visit to Italy, to talk to mill owners and see the end result of the wool journey.

He said he appreciated the chance to talk to mill owners.

“There seems to be more of an opportunity to do that in the fine, and superfine, end of the market, there seems to be a closer relationship with the buyer, broker and mill owner, with regards to feedback of how the wool performs.

“It’s great to be able to talk to these wool buyers directly and get the feedback from the mills they are supplying, it certainly gives you a bit of encouragement; it’s justification for the decision, we made a long time ago.”

Coliban Estate was now trying to go for a bigger framed sheep, “a high yielding, easier care, type of sheep.”

Mr James said the property still practiced mulesing, getting good results from using Tri-Solfen.

“I am looking for nice, soft handling, bright, white wool, that’s going to yield well and looking to get around five kilograms of 17-18 micron wool off our wethers and four and three quarters of a kg on a ewe that is rearing a lamb.

“I select the bigger, plainer bodied rams that are standing up on their feet and have open clean faces.

“This is probably more important than there micron tests.

“I also look for those rams that are displaying a good length of staple compared to the rest of the draft.”

Ewes were joined in the last week in February, at a rate of one and a half percent of rams, and had recently scanned at 118 per cent.

“I would hope to mark 90pc of lambs, based on those scanning figures,” he said.

Lambs were dropped between the last week in July, to the end of August, with marking in early September.

“I am trying to match the available feed, I used to lamb in autumn, but there were too many dry seasons.

“Now there is an optimum amount of feed in the paddocks, when they are requiring it the most, it fills that feed gap really well.”

“To improve the rates from scanning to lambing, I try and put the twin lambing ewes in as smaller mobs as I can, say a maximum of 150 ewes.”

This season, about 28 per cent of ewes were carrying twins, and Mr James said he tried to ensure they were equal to, or above, a condition score three.

“I also inspect them every one to two days during lambing, looking for cast ewes or ewes having trouble getting lambs out.”

Care was taken in moving ewes through the yards and shed, during crutching, which took place a month before lambing.

Mr James said he was hoping to get back to renovating sub clover and phalaris pastures, with more superphosphate and lime.

For now, a decision taken many years ago was paying off, but Mr James said he wasn’t naïve enough to believe it would last forever.

“It’s going to be cyclical; it’s totally driven by fashion, driven by that active wear market and garments worn next to the skin.”