Low ewe liveweights and general performance on Bay of Plenty sheep farms is a common problem aggravated by farmers keeping lambs through late autumn in an attempt to improve returns. Ewe liveweights of 50 kg or less result in low lambing percentages and wool production of around 4.4 kg/ sheep stock unit. This paper outlines one farmer's identification of the problem and the introduction of 'Grasslands Puna' chicory to help solve this problem. A pure sward was very well established using the spraydrill technique at relatively low cost, despite a late sowing date. Several options now present themselves to increase profitability and flexibility on the property. Keywords chicory, lamb growth, Bay of Plenty
