PRIME lamb production could lead a farming resurgence in the tree plantation areas of the Frankland River and other areas, according to WAMMCO Producers of the Month winners for November 2011.
Robin Higgins, who farms with his family on their property Netley at Frankland River, said looming changes with the decline of the bluegum plantation industry and the attraction of sound lamb, wool and grain prices have at last started to turn the tide back in favour of farming in the area.
"The farmers and larger farming corporations that bucked the tree trend a few years ago are now seeing strong rewards and there is increasing talk of big areas of plantation land in our area being sold back into farming," Robin said.
The Higgins family is now in its fourth generation after first moving to Frankland from Capel in the late 1800s to develop land for sheep and cattle.
Robin and his wife Janice, son Bradley and his wife Jody, farm about 1100 hectares of pasture including 200ha of leasehold.
Around 2500 ewes are joined each year, including 1200 Merino ewes to Strath-Haddon rams and another 1000 first cross ewes to rams from their own Texel stud with a further 300 Merino ewes mated to Border Leicester rams.
Their winning consignment consisted of 182 lambs dropped from first cross mothers in late May and early June and weighed on the property before delivery to WAMMCO with a 45kg target liveweight.
The 182 lambs were processed on November 16 and recorded an average carcase weight of 22.44kg with a WAMMCO payment of $5.06/kg taking the value per carcase to $105.58 a lamb, plus a further $8 for the skin to total $113.58 a lamb.
WAMMCO Select paid a bonus of $5.32 a head for 41 lambs in the consignment adding $217.95 or $1.20 a head overall.
Another 180 heavier lambs in the same mob were also processed at Katanning on November 16 and weighed an average of 25.37kg to return $127.85 a head including $8 for the skin. This group was an entry for the WAMMCO State Lamb Carcase Competition.
Robin and Bradley are both foundation members of WAMMCO and Robin was also an original member of the Q Lamb group in WA.
Robin said he would like to see WAMMCO take up some of the Q Lamb initiatives on domestic lamb marketing.
The family is happy with their mix of wool, lamb, Angus beef and cropping but have been steadily advancing the prime lamb enterprise.
"We moved to first cross ewes for our lamb production in 2000 with noticeable results and have been gaining steadily since," Bradley said.
"We depend on the scales and aim to deliver lambs to WAMMCO straight off their mothers."
Robin said the area had gone from one of the driest years on record to one of the wettest in 2011-12 with more than 900mm recorded at the property.
A freak storm last Friday caused serious destruction and flooding on the property with lightning killing a number of lambs.
The family is happy with their Merino wool production claiming they were in the luck last year with excellent prices for both lamb and wool.
Their top line from a clip of 115 bales sold through Landmark last year at $14.50/kg.
Strath-Haddon genetics are keeping their average wool quality below 20 microns as well as producing large framed and plain bodied ewes.
Robin said the family had watched in dismay as bluegum plantations had taken over their area, removing infrastructure and leaving schools and community amenities without enough people to keep them viable.
"But the tide is certainly turning and we are hopeful that the continuing high returns now available from lamb, wool and grain, together with the unique quality of our soil and climate, now promises a real alternative to tree farming," Robin said.
