Country-Wide Sheep 2023
Plant natives and exotics
Hawke’s Bay farmer Peter Arthur puts up an argument for mixed planting. It might mean more work, but the results would be worth it, aesthetically and financially.
A sheared interest
A North Canterbury couple have a joint interest in judging competition shearing. By Annabelle Latz.
Tag cost fear in EID move
Joint state-federal funding would be made available via a rebate scheme to support the implementation of individual electronic identification (EID) across the NSW sheep and farmed-goat industry. The move is part of a national Australian plan.
Boluses give trace element security
Some NZ soils are known to be low in essential minerals, so an easily administered and effective source of supplementation will help improve performance from all classes of adult sheep.
Shedding wool with Kaahu Whites
Murray and Wayne Sargeant have pioneered a very low input, high-output breed of sheep they call Kaahu White, by crossing Australian White and Wiltshire.
Combatting deficiency
Every day lambs are below adequate in their vitamin B12 levels results in compromised growth rates, meaning reduced profit for a farming operation.
Who ya gonna call?
Wild deer, hares, pigs, and even possums are attacking the fodder crop. Valuable winter feed is being lost along with wrecked electric fences. TB is being spread. So who are you going to call? Pest busters. By Terry Brosnahan.
Shearing doesn’t have to be a drag
Perkinz, a New Zealand farming brand owned by EB Engineering in Dunedin, has just released a new shearing system called ShearMaster that not only makes a tough job easier, but faster.
Beet for finishing lambs, not ewes
Fodder beet is high-energy feed that can be grown for relatively low cost if the yields are good, Kerry Dwyer writes.
Gay rams – Dear Aunty Thistledown
A farmer correspondent put a crayon on a ram for mating and he did not mark a single ewe. He did mark some of the other rams though. Is there such a thing as a gay sheep?