Hill Padua MPM Newsletter 8th May, 2012

We hope that everyone enjoyed the festive break and had a chance to recharge the batteries. Geraldine and I were able to go on our long awaited tag along tour to the Kimberley and right to the tip at Cape York. In the Kimberley’s we boarded a boat cruise on the Odyssey from the Mitchell Plateau to Broome, which we thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. Well we are once again charging through the year, at last 2011 turned out to be the best season ever, no hand feeding required like the previous five years. The lick feeders have had a rest, but will commence again for the ewes in the last few weeks of their pregnancy.The AI program went well, with Thanks to Mike Henderson’s shearing team who did most of the heavy work. A mob of 801 ewes were AI over the two days, with approximately 350 receiving our own sire’s semen. Leaving 450 sourced from outside Rams possessing outstanding ASBV traits for meat and wool. We have mated 3109 ewes this year which should produce over 3500 lambs with approximately over 1700 ewe lambs to select from.1000 of these maiden ewes will join our existing flock that leaving 700 for sale. The bottom 250 will go to the abattoirs with about 400 plus being available for graziers to start the MPM system of easy care fertile merinos.Last year we shore our ewes in April and October. Resulting in pleasing figures,

74 mm in length and up to 54 newtons for April and finishing with October‘s shearing producing 72mm in length with mid 40 newtons. So our girls produced 146mm wool in a 14 month period having a 118% lambs.

The average Micron was 19.4 so to those of you that haven’t started this system it is achievable with some sound advice and some TLC.

We scanned 3088 ewes on the 22nd of March with pleasing results, 95.6% in lamb (137 ewes were empty). Twins were not counted, but Steve (the scanner) suggested the ewes were carrying about 60% twins. If this is true going by those figures we may have approximately 4900 foetuses – 4000 lambs from 3000 ewes will be a good result, considering 1/3 of these ewes are maidens.

Poll Ram no. 343 was very successful, mating 115 ewes by himself. This single sired mob originally consisted of 118 ewes, which two unfortunately died and one was empty, outstanding job by this Ram.

Last year’s Hill Padua MPM Ram Sale was another success, with 84 Rams averaging a touch over $1100.00. Another 63 were sold as private selection with the last of them leaving in January.

We have been through our ram lambs twice and drafted the first 250 culls. We now have 435 Rams in the mob, this drop were sired by rams of a high standard all from our own flock.

We have been battling to find good poll Rams and have searched Australia over the last couple of years, without a lot of success. The polls we have used entail good skin and shape, resulting in big plain bodied Merino, and the first draft will be of exceptional quality.

Our Hill Padua Ram Sale will be held on the 24th September, 2012 the following Monday after the Mingenew Expo taking place on the 20th and 21st of September, 2012.

We look forward to seeing you all in the coming year and wish your season to be a happy and prosperous one.

Multi Purpose Merinos – Wool Meat Fertility

Remember:

Fertility is the BIGGEST Profit Driver !!!