Farmers adopting technology to improve sheep production - a nine year study

Abstract

The Kuriwao Farm Action group has followed a process of continued monitoring and evaluation to improve sheep production. Involvement in this project has given the farmers meaningful information for all members to use as part of their decision making. As a group they have evaluated options such as pasture cultivars and renovation strategies, sheep genetics, chemical topping and hogget mating. The benefit to all members has been faster progress and less costly mistakes. Many new technologies such as scanning, improved pasture species, chemical topping and improved animal genetics and nutrition are now standard practice on these properties. The farmers made bigger gains in the last five years as the impact of new sheep genetics and crossbreeding combined with a greater understanding of the importance of ewe nutrition in both lamb numbers and growth. The original objectives of the project were to improve lambing percentage, pasture performance and lamb growth. On average, lambing percentage improved by 2% per year for the last nine years (and 3% per year since 1996). Average lamb growth rate lifted by 8.6g/d/year (5% per year). Keywords: genetics, learning, nutrition, pasture improvement, pasture production, sheep production