RESILIENT BUSINESSES SHEEP Back and better than ever In November 2015 a fire engulfed were conscious of not introducing new 80,000ha in SA, including Troy diseases or weeds. TOP TIPS FOR DISASTER and Nette Fischers’ property Sheep were drenched and vaccinated RECOVERY where it killed 650 White Suffolk on entry into a confinement feeding stud sheep and destroyed yard and drenched again before being > Seek expert advice to assist with 1,000 round bales of hay, sheds, moved out to paddocks. decision making. machinery and 35km of fencing. Donated hay was only fed in the yard to > Accept offers of help, especially reduce risk of weed invasion. from organisations such as The Fischers’ resilience, goal setting BlazeAid. and careful decision making, along with Post‑disaster management support from the community, ensured a > Divide the workload and develop return to productivity in under two yearsPregnant ewes were managed appropriate time frames for and pavedthe way for genetic gain. according to Lifetime Ewe principles. rebuilding tasks. They received hay up to the late stages > Look after each other, exercise Immediate response of pregnancy, when they were also fed tolerance and take time off for In the days after the fire, Troy, Nette andsupplementary grain, and were moved physical and mental health. Troy’s parents Brian and Rhonda turned out to pasture just before lambing. their immediate focus to managing the > Make calculated decisions; don’t The Fischers sought advice from rush into them. surviving 550 ewe and ram lambs. professionals and engaged a > Look out for members of your “We had so many questions: where to consultant to help with planning and community who are struggling. run these lambs, how to replace the decision making. breeding ewes, how to use all the “The fire gave us a once‑in‑a‑lifetime offers of help, would our insurance opportunity to re‑evaluate how the farm come good and where to start? It was was set up,” Troy said. overwhelming,” Troy said. A critical step was to divide up “It was really important to the workload so everyone had a have someone with an specific role as they moved to rebuild independent view to look their business. at our business and provide They found agistment within five days advice on which direction at a nearby stud breeder’s farm, which ensured their ovine Johne’s disease to head and where to focus MN3 status wasn’t compromised. our limited financial and Their flock rebuild goals were to: labour resources.” • hold the annual stud ram sale in The Fischers widened all gateways to a September 2016 standard 10m to ensure easy machinery Troy and Nette Fischer with their youngest • produce enough lambs in 2016 to access and built a containment yard child, Elke. have a ram sale in 2017 and state‑of‑the‑art sheep yards to • continue genetic improvement. improve labour efficiency and make Troy Fischer Troy asked six White Suffolk stud owners sheep work more enjoyable. E: troyfischer@bigpond.com to contribute elite breeding ewes to an Four years on, the Fischers have Making More From Sheep: embryo transfer program. Another stud expanded their flock by 50% and have makingmorefromsheep.com.au breeder loaned 70 stud ewes to obtain seen their rate of genetic gain increase. a drop of lambs. The Fischer family also Lifetime Ewe Management: purchased breeding ewes. They doubled the area of crop by lifetimewool.com.au/LTEM.aspx leasing land and upgraded seeding and Sheep Genetics: With sheep coming in from nine harvest equipment for improved labour sheepgenetics.org.au properties across Australia, the Fischersefficiency and timeliness of sowing. ■ SNAPSHOT:Troy and Nette Fischer, Wasleys, SAS Area: Enterprise: Livestock: Pasture: Soil: Rainfall: 830ha White Suffolk 700 stud Cereal and legume Grey clay over 400mm sheep ewes pastures, using vigorous limestone, black varieties that establish bisque, red loam early for resilient pastures 21