GRAZING their ewes and lambs on crops of Spartacus barley with a complement of pellets and salt licks, and capitalising on the higher profitability of their Prime SAMMs, has proved to be a successful strategy for Dumbleyung producers Dale and Suzanne Cronin and Dale's parents Terry and Lyn Cronin of Bunkin Farming Enterprises.
The Cronin family won WAMMCO's Producer of the Month title for December, 2020 - their first POM win since February, 2015 - with a line of 146 pure Prime SAMM lambs that averaged 21.51 kilograms to return $146.29 with a sweet spot ranking of 99.3 per cent.
Dale Cronin said the past three years had seen further successful investment in Prime SAMM genetics and the phasing out of a long - standing Merino component in the flock.
The move to grow barley for grazing and subsequent harvest, replaced a successful trial of ryecorn several years ago.
"Some may find it quite daunting to see sheep grazing a barley crop before it is harvested," Dale said.
"But as long as you manage the grazing properly, you will increase your stocking rate and can reduce the severity of frost in early sown barley.
"We have enjoyed great success over the past three seasons grazing early sown crops of Spartacus barley, trail feeding pellets and using salt licks, without affecting the crop yield."
Bunkin Farming was an early investor in imported Prime SAMM genetics to WA via neighbouring stud Rockdale, purchasing one of the early rams to achieve size and other impressive gains.
The Cronin family were also regular winners and place-getters in WAMMCO State Lamb Carcase Competitions, as well as Producer of the Month titles for August 2011 and March 2013.
They now make surplus young rams available for private selection, while also making astute purchases when high-potential rams are offered, two such purchases over the past few years have been a ram from Shirlee Downs stud, Quairading that won the Australian Champion Prime SAMM at the Bendigo show in 2017 and a ram from Lawral Park stud based in South Australia that won the Bendigo title in 2019.
"The second ram weighed more than 150kg while still showing his lamb's teeth and was related to an exceptional ram we originally purchased from Rockdale," Dale said.
He said running bigger mobs of ewes had improved ease of management and contributed to whole farm profitability.
It also compensated for frequent seasonal variations in lambing percentages.
Dale found some years ago that selection of Prime SAMM rams with a slightly higher fat score can produce lambs that maintain better condition over the summer.
He and Terry retain their interest in wool, finding that higher flock numbers allow them to accommodate the better wool sheep in the stud.
"However, increasingly there is more stability and profit on the meat side, with a tendency to produce hardier animals," he said.
The December 2020 Producer award was Bunkin's first under WAMMCO's new 'sweet spot' judging criteria since their last win in 2015 under more objective, former ViaScan-based criteria.
Dale has previously commented on rising taste and tenderness comments he has received from consumers and the opportunity for premiums.
"The "sweet spot' judging system seems to be quite broad and you would think that some lamb weights, fat score and yield percentages would be more profitable to WAMMCO than all lambs from 18.1 to 28kg , fat score 2-4," Dale said.
"Maybe the new DEXA machine will help with this."
He believes there is also potential for WAMMCO to develop a distinctive consumer brand identity for the domestic and export markets to take greater advantage of its unique production environment and producer co-operative base.
Like many of WA's lamb-producing families, the Cronins have a long association with their farming area.
Their Irish builder forefather John Cronin took up farming land near Dumbleyung in 1878 and built one of the first farmhouses in the area.