Gaining premiums, genetics and an all-new lice treatment were the talk of the shed at a sheep information day at Elmore.
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Pepperton Poll Dorsets & White Suffolks stud hosted a sheep information day in its shearing shed for the region's farmers to learn more about premiums, handling new technology and assessing sheep health for flock benefits.
Showing off best practice
Stud principals Roger and Dianne Trewick said they wanted to organise the day to help show latest industry research, technology and best-practice information producers to optimise their flocks.
They spent the past 35 years working on their genetics to maximise productivity, and were at the tail-end of this year's lambing season.
Mr Trewick said people travelled from "all over" with farmers from Moama, NSW, Holbrook, NSW, Gundagai, NSW, Serpentine and more.
"I do the main paddock work, and Dianne and Tara take on the data entry, the data goes in as soon as it's taken," he said.
Mrs Trewick said they take birthweight, wean at 100 days, and at 200 days do an ultrasound scan for fat depth, muscle depth, and the sheep were weighed again.
"We blood test the rams and we send those over to a firm in Western Australia for testing, and we get the lean meat yield, intramuscular fat, and the shear force percentage which gives us the LEQ, lamb eating quality figure," she said.
"We're doing that to satisfy consumers because they want a tastier, juicier lamb."
Live export end sees sheep prices plummet
Mr Trewick said he wanted to hone in on current sheep prices, which affected his farm.
He said he sold his ewes for $200 last year, with the same quality making $30 this year.
"It's unfortunate the decision to stop the live export trade is having a dramatic effect on the lamb and sheep industry at the moment," he said.
"Those sheep that normally go to export are now having to be processed here in Australia."
Speakers on the day included Claire Marriott, Gundagai Meat Processors, Gundagai, NSW, on using superior sires, Dean Bellingham, Shearwell, on electronic identification tags, and Agriculture Victoria leading animal health officer Meg Hanrahan on diseases and biosecurity.
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Other keynote speakers included Zoetis senior livestock sales representative Heidi Sutherland on vaccination and correct application techniques, and Coopers Animal Health veterinarian Rachael Holmes on FlexOLT, an oral lice treatment.
"We just thank people for their support and look forward to seeing people at our ram sale on October 18," Mr Trewick said.
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