THE boost in wool prices and a buoyant lamb and shipper market have rewarded Gnowangerup producer Gavin Lamont’s long-term family reliance on Merinos and Poll Dorsets.
The family was WAMMCO’s Producer of the Month for November, with 96.4 per cent of a line of 137 lambs achieving the co-operative’s performance premium.
The lambs were processed at Katanning on November 3, and were lighter than usual at 20.81 kilograms.
Despite the lighter weights, the lambs averaged $114.32 per head including skins.
Like many of his neighbours in the generally reliable sheep belt between Tambellup and Gnowangerup, Mr Lamont crops a relatively small percentage of his family’s 850 hectare property, relying heavily on his wool, lamb and shipper income to complement uncertain grain prices.
“Our past two wool clips scored record prices for our business and that together with high returns for shipping wethers, took much of the pressure off us,” Mr Lamont said.
“And WAMMCO has continued to deliver good lamb returns in a very difficult season.
“The season stopped short in May during one of our best-ever lambings and we have been hand feeding since the start of November.
“We purchased lupins and pellets to mix with our oats to supplement the lack of stubbles and pasture.
“We aim to drop our lambs in April/May and to turn them off as suckers from September to reduce sheep numbers over summer.
“This year, we still have about 50 lambs to go, probably early in the new year.”
Mr Lamont and his father Terry, who continues to live and help on the property, started a Poll Dorset stud in 1992 and supplied regular local clients before selling the genetics to Collyn Garnett’s Curlew Creek stud at Gnowangerup in 2009.
Merino bloodlines were purchased from Glenroy and Pallinup studs before a move to the Garnett family’s Willemenup stud 10 years ago.
A breeding flock of about 1000 Willemenup blood ewes is equally divided for mating to Willemenup Merino and Curlew Creek Poll Dorset rams.
“The Willemenup ewes are big framed and have seen our lambing percentage increase from about 90pc to well over 100pc,” Mr Lamont said.
“The Merino ewes are averaging about 7kg of 20.5 micron wool per head and we have been keeping wether Merino lambs through to 2.5-years-old for sale as shippers after their third shearing.
“This year the shipper market returned $125 a head.”
Mr Lamont selects his Merino and Poll Dorset rams each year and does his own classing.
He calls in local Landmark Gnowangerup stock agent Mike Moore to help with weighing, selecting, marketing and booking sale lambs before delivering lambs to Katanning himself.
Mr Lamont agrees with Mr Moore that WAMMCO not only continues to innovate and underwrite the lamb and mutton industry, it also offers significant freight and other advantages to local lamb producers.
A steady improvement in the co-operative’s skin prices was another welcome advance.
“The highly successful development of the north American market for our heavy lambs is one of WAMMCO’s most significant achievements and it is unfortunate that more producers are not returning as prime lamb producers to share and support this market,” Mr Lamont said.
He also applauded WAMMCO’s lead in backing the Sheepmeat Council survey on dentition and supported the call for change by completing the survey.
“New Zealand producers have enjoyed the advantage of a more flexible dentition system for many years and I can see benefits for Australian lamb producers particularly when seasonal conditions are tough,” he said.
Mr Lamont and his wife Tania have two sons Scott, 16, and Matthew, 12, and a daughter Rachel, 19, who is one year through a dual animal science/health degree at Murdoch University.
Scott is at WA College of Agriculture, Denmark and Matthew will leave Gnowangerup for Great Southern Grammar in 2018.
