ON FARM SHEEP REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY8 rainfall zone – and in 2016, SNAPSHOT: they achieved 88.5% Tim and Georgie lamb survival across their mature-aged ewes, despite Leeming, experiencing the district’s ‘Paradoo Prime’, wettest winter on record. Pigeon Ponds, Victoria achieved 90.8% survival afterLast year, Tim and Georgie S having another 1,000mm of rainfall. Precision lambing Tim said 90–95% of ewe and lamb mortality occurs in the last few days of pregnancy and the first few days of lactation, but this is the stage Area: where ewes are usually left 1,530ha to fend for themselves. Enterprise: He would like to see Lamb production with some more sheep producers cattle trading and agistment embrace what he calls “precision lambing”. Livestock: 7,500 breeding ewes, “Croppers have embraced including ewe lambs, cattle, Tim Leeming precision agriculture and maternal seedstock and so have sheep producers 300+ rams in planning that end part of After lambing, the ewes and to some extent, in that we the process – lambing.” lambs go back into a big now use feed budgeting, Pasture: mob and are moved to a condition scoring, and Mainly phalaris and perennial Tim said that by keeping more exposed paddock. differential nutrition ryegrass with sub-clover, joining tight and identifying allocation to twin-bearing flexible annual forages foetus size with ultrasound, “That enables us to preserve and single-bearing ewes,” he can segment lambing the pasture they lambed he said. Soil: so his ewes get the best on and even build it up with Sandy loam some urea or gibberellic acid “However, we still get to paddock, shelter, nutrition a point where we put the Rainfall: and mob size to maximise during the 20-day break, pregnant ewes in the 600mm lamb survival. before we bring in the next lambing paddock, say ‘good bunch of multiples on the luck’ and hope for the best. A matter of strategy next 17-day cycle,” Tim said. Tim Leeming The Leemings split their best “Croppers don’t get to E: pconsult@bigpond.com lambing paddocks using “It sounds like a lot of work, harvest and say, ‘well, we electric fencing reels and but it just comes down to put all this effort into sowing Check out a video created tread-in posts. Paddocks of planning and maintaining and growing, now we’ll get by Tim to explain the 15ha may be split into three your calendar entries. the old tow-behind, busted process behind paddock or four small paddocks. “It does require using header and blow half the preparation for lambing. scanning technology to its grain on the ground’. Go to youtube.com and Ewes on a 17-day lambing utmost, but it’s worth it.” search ‘Paradoo Prime’ cycle go in a couple of days “Like them, we need to put before lambing and leave The Leemings stock well precision right at the end, a day after the last lamb above industry rates – where we actually ‘harvest’ is born. 8 ewes/ha in a 600mm our product.” 28