‘One to remember’ — Hogget rams and ewe hoggets in ‘best condition’ in years after wet season and green feed

After enduring a bone-dry 2020, Wheatbelt farmer Doug Giles is revelling in one of the best years he can remember.

The mixed-enterprise producer, who runs a primarily livestock-focused operation near Lake Magenta, said the rewards of an unusually wet and warm growing season were plain to see.

“Our hogget rams are probably the best we’ve ever produced and our ewe hoggets are probably the best level we’ve had for a long time,” Mr Giles said.

Mr Giles, who oversees about 400 cattle and 3500 Merino-mated ewes, said all of his 32 dams were now full.

“Before the break in the season we had 10 tanks set up for carting water for the livestock, so that means a good 15 of the dams were dry,” he said.

Other than the floods in 2016, I don’t think we’ve had a season like this where we’ve had a wet and warm growing season for quite a few years, probably going back to the 90s for us.

“It’s been one of the better growing seasons we’ve had in a while. It is getting a bit wet in the summer cropping program, but we’ll take that for what it’s worth.”

Though he will not be entering, Mr Giles said the State Ewe Hogget Competition at this year’s Newdegate Machinery Field Days should be one to remember.

“The quality of the livestock at Newdegate should be pretty good,” he said.

We’ve had awesome feed for the livestock all year round so they should be in Mickey Mouse condition.

“There will be maybe six studs represented there that I know of, so that should be pretty cool,” he said.

Read the full Newdegate Machinery Field Days program here.