Lambing percentages up across WA farms

An early break and better flock management by producers has led to a rise in lambing percentages this year, according to leading industry figures. And it has Harvey sheep farmers Zoë and Travis Allington — who are celebrating their best ewe survival rate ever and a 15 per cent increase in lambing percentage — grinning from ear to ear. It is a welcome trend after dry conditions in the past couple couple of years led to widespread reports of low lambing percentages across the State, with some industry groups reporting less than 70 per cent in 2018. A Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development survey of more than 660 000 ewes at the time revealed the average lambing percentage in Merino flocks was 91 per cent, slightly down from 2017’s 92 per cent. Marking rates in 2017 varied from 40-135 per cent, with the majority of flocks recording percentages from 75-110. But Icon Agriculture farm consultant Mark Allington — whose client base extends in a 100km radius around Darkan — said those figures had since improved. “There’s been plenty of people with 150 per cent in their twin flocks this year,” he said. “And even though we haven’t had high rainfall it’s been better than the last couple of years.” WAFarmers livestock section president David Slade attributed the more favourable figures to farmers embracing Meat and Livestock Australia research to improve their practices. The lambing percentage in his Mount Barker flock was up “slightly” from last year. It has been a particularly good year for the Allingtons, recording their best ewe survival rate in the four years they have been operating, as well as an improvement in lambing percentage. The first-generation farmers, who run 1500 breeding Merino ewes, 450 ewe lambs and Mount Ronan maternal rams across 223ha near Harvey, had less than one per cent ewe deaths, well below the 4.9 per cent industry average. “That was an amazing result for us,” Mrs Allington said. “We’re really pleased. Our aim is to be below 5 per cent and research data and surveys suggests that the 3-8 per cent ewe deaths over the lambing period is where the national average is at. That’s the critical time for ewes — that’s when they’re under the most stress.” This year, Allington Family Farm’s main mob was at 100 per cent — up from 85 per cent last year — with their twin mob at 145 per cent. Mrs Allington said a number of factors had contributed to the positive figures, including early rainfall in May, which had “made a massive difference”. “The condition the ewes are in is going to be one of the key factors for how well they then mate and their capacity to carry a lamb to full-term,” she said. She also credited a partnership with a local vegetable farmer to use seconds of their carrots as supplementary feed over summer in helping maintain the condition of their flock. They also closely monitored their lambing ewes, the survival rate of which she said had a flow-on effect on their operation for several years. “Every ewe that you lose, you don’t just lose the ewe itself, you lose the potential for it to grow any wool for you, the potential for it to have lambs, the lambs that you’d get from that ewe,” she said. “We’re keeping our ewes until they’re about five or six, so that’s potentially five or six years they can produce lambs for you. So it’s not just the cost of that ewe dying, its potential you lose as well.”