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Joining Check

DPI Sheep and Wool Officer at Horsham, Gary Hallam, says that most sheep breeders will have by now classed the ewes and purchased rams for the upcoming joining season. However this is just the beginning in completing a successful reproductive cycle.

By Department of Primary Industries - 17th November 2004 - Back to News

For best results consider the following:

• Check the health of rams and inspect toes, teeth and testicles.
• Shear rams several weeks before joining.
• Apply fly protection to the tail and head of rams.
• Ensure ewes are in good condition (fat score of 3 plus) and rising in weight during joining.
• Keep rams well away from ewes for a month before joining to take advantage of 'the ram effect'.
• Join at a minimum of 1% plus one ram per mob (younger ewes will need extra).
• Maiden ewes have a less pronounced heat and should be joined to older rams.
• Maiden ewes should be joined as a group and separate to older ewes.
• Join for at least 42 days to give all ewes at least two opportunities to cycle.
• Join large mobs in smaller paddocks with central watering points.
• First cross ewes need to be in excellent condition for a successful spring joining.
• Where conditions are not ideal, use ram harnesses to monitor activity.
• Worm control strategies can coincide nicely with a spring joining.

For further information on ways to maximise your returns from sheep and wool contact your local DPI Sheep and Wool Officer.

TAKING A WALK THROUGH THE SEASON TO MAKE PROFITABLE FEEDING DECISIONS

There is no doubt that the last few seasons have been tough, and making a profit has been a struggle for many. Feeding management is a major driver of our dairy business, and therefore our profit.

Are you at the most profitable point of feeding for your farm each day?
This is quite a challenge, but there are farmers in the industry that are doing this well, with confidence and ease. The ‘Walking through the Seasons’ program is a new dairy extension program initiative by Dairy Australia and the Department of Primary Industries.

Dairy Extension Officer at DPI Maffra, Jason McAinch said the group members would be visiting the same host farm about every 4-6 weeks. The group will then analyse the feeding regime and discuss ways to improve profitability.

"It is an exciting project that allows farmers to see with their own eyes what is possible with grazing good quality pastures."

‘Walking through the Seasons’ is a systems based approach to learning, which allows farmers to learn the system and be able to apply it to their own farm rather than one recipe fits all approach.

There are five host farms planned for Gippsland. Currently these are located at Yarram, Yinnar, Newry and Orbost. The fifth host farm is likely to be in the Sale area.

The following questions will be explored when visiting a host farm:

• What’s the best rotation length to achieve pasture quantity and quality?
• What’s the best daily allocation of pasture?
• What’s the best post-graze level for future pasture growth and quality?
• What’s the best post-graze level for cow production?
• Is the level of supplement right?

"The aim of maximising both cow efficiency and hectare efficiency is what dairy farming is all about to achieve improved profit," Jason said. ‘And we believe this program can deliver on this."

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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