Valentine's Day timing the key for sheep farmers

"The boys go see the girls on Valentine's Day - it's very romantic," said Russell Harding.

"It works with the timing and is a good date to remember."

Mr Harding and his wife Sonia have become an integral part of Springfield Farms owned by Sonia's parents Beau and Michele Waddell.

And top scoring Merino lambs are just one section of the family's farming business, which also runs a major feedlot for cattle and a significant cropping operation.

The family has always farmed Merino sheep and Mr Waddell has been particularly passionate about the breed's wool.

"Over time the Merino has become a multi-purpose sheep, so we have been able to grow a bigger frame, which we can produce good wool and get a good carcase from," Mr Harding said.

"The genetics are something that we keep evolving in.

"We went through the stage of going through wrinkled sheep for more wool cut and then we have shifted to a more plain-bodied sheep.

"Then we found we were a bit too plain, so we had to buy a little more wrinkle to get better wool."

The Waddell/Harding family run a self-replacing Merino flock of 1500 ewes using gentics from Luke Ledwith's Kolindale stud Merino and Poll Merino bloodlines.

They were forced to reduce their program and flock last year, off the back of three consecutive dry seasons.

This year, a further 300 sheep were culled.

However, Mr Harding said they were able to produce high lambing percentages, which was good when they didn't run large numbers.

He added that downsizing meant they had become more selective in their breeding ewes and rams.

"In downsizing we have been able to get some good frames, quick growing, good wool producing, all-round sheep," he said.

"Last year, we mated about 1350 ewes and we ended up with 1636 lambs.

"This year we preg tested 1270 ewes and 50 were dry, 300 single and 830 bearing twins.

"We split the twins into smaller mobs and make sure they are given extra care because they are carrying a pair.

"We are specifically buying rams that have come from twin backgrounds."

Twin lambing percentages and numbers have increased and, despite the dry, marked at 121pc last year.

Mr Harding said it was "good to make the most of what you have".

He said the farm had always preg tested and gave the maidens a second chance, "in case they didn't know what they were doing".

"They go back in again, then they only get one chance and the next year they come out again.

"Preg testing has helped us separate the twins from the singles and run the twins in those smaller mobs, in a paddock where mums can't walk away from the lambs and where lambs can keep up."

The sheep are carried on about 900 hectares of land and five different paddocks with 300 head in each.

Ewes and rams are joined on Valentine's Day, which means lambs are dropped onto green feed in July.

Lambs are then marked in September and weaned onto stubble paddocks in October to November for sales from June to August the following year.

"Some people might join earlier than us because they want to have a lamb and get that lamb away in the same season," Mr Harding said.

"But we tend to hold our lambs until they are 12-months-old.

"That works for us and that's why we get good quality coming out of Western Australian Meat Marketing Co-operative (WAMMCO).

"They are an older, more mature sheep, so they already have their body frame."

Springfield Farms returned to an exclusive Merino sheep base, after crossbreeding with Prime SAMM genetics from Tiarra and Quintarra studs about six years ago.

The family was at the crossroads with the breed and had to make a decision:

Would they stick with the Merinos or would they go with the SAMMs?

"That's where Beau had the winning vote," Mr Harding said.

"He is very passionate about his Merinos.

"He's always had a lot to do with the breed and has spent all those years trying to get the right sheep.

"And it was probably the right move, particularly when the wool prices went through the roof a couple of years ago."

Springfield Farms look for a plain-bodied sheep that has a larger frame and does well in the conditions at Newdegate.

They want rams with wool quality and buy about five a year from the Kolindale stud, compared to 15 or so a year in the earlier days.

While the ewe flock number has downsized, Mr Harding said they had held onto 350 hoggets and could easily breed back up if they were to continue having strong seasons (like this year).

"Ideally we would sit at the 1500 mark," he said.

"For us it works to have three or four good mobs.

"We do run less sheep because we have such a big job with the cattle, which takes up so much time in the paddocks.

"But in saying that I do love a good day in the sheep yard."

The sheep are shorn onfarm in February and average 19 to 20 micron and six-and-a-half to seven kilograms of wool per head.

The lambs are held back until March to April to give them a bit more length in their wool.

But in the past couple of years they have been shorn at the same time, as conditions have been dry.

Without substantial rainfall, the Waddell/Hardings looked at making changes to their farming practice to adapt to the conditions.

Water has remained their most critical issue and due to shortages they decided to install two desalination plants on the farm.

"We had to do something, we knew we just couldn't rely on the rain anymore," Mr Harding said.

"We spent significant time drilling holes and trying to find underground water.

"There were a couple of diviners out here and we found some water, but it was very salty."

Some of the salt water is pumped up to the feedlot and mixed with fresh water and the remainder is desalinated.

This process has relieved some of the water pressures.

As well as desalination as a water source, the farm also constructed a 27 million litre dam.

Mr Harding said they built the dam, after promising rainfall in 2017.

"Then 2018 to 2020 were fairly dry and all our neighbours started telling us we needed to push it back in because as soon as we built it, it stopped raining," he said.

"We really need a big 100mm summer rain - that would fill it up.

"We would then use that water for the feedlot."

The Waddell/Hardings use lick feeders with a lupin and barley mix or pellets to ensure their sheep reach a 50kg minimum target weight and keep in peak condition.

Lambs are also put on growth supplements, which has helped with early development.

"Once lambing has finished, we put the lick feeders in with the ewes and lambs," Mr Harding said.

"The ewes will train the lambs how to feed on lick feeders.

"From there the lambs will always be on lick feeders and we sell what we can out of the paddock.

"Otherwise we finish them in the sheep feedlot."

Lambs are constantly checked through a dedicated weight centre with a final weighing completed 10 days before delivery to WAMMCO.

Consistency is something the Waddell/Harding family prides itself on.

That was evident last year by winning the WAMMCO Large Merino Supplier at the 2019/20 Producer of the Year award presentations at Katanning.

The award was open to both crossbred and Merino lamb suppliers.

Producer of the Year winners were determined by a score calculation determined by each growers' entire financial year lamb throughput with: an 80pc weighting on the number of carcases meeting WAMMCO's carcase sweet spot (18.1 to 28kg, fat scores 2 to 3) and a 20pc weighting to the timing and quantity of lambs delivered.

Higher points were awarded to members that delivered a large number of lambs outside the spring flush.

While sheep only make up a very small part of Springfield Farms, they tie in with the cattle and cropping programs.

Particularly as they are easy to manage and some of the property is not suited to cattle.

"The sheep work really well on a year like this when there's that much feed," Mr Harding said.

"They are down there keeping the weeds under control, rather than us having to spray it all out.

"So they rotate through the blocks where we can't run cattle, while also growing meat and wool.

"Even in the paddocks where sheep and cattle are run together, the sheep still eat different stuff because the cattle can't eat as low to the ground."

Mr Harding sheep were definitely not something he ever wanted to give up.

"I like sheep," he said.

"As Beau says, 'if you aren't going forwards, you are going backwards'.

"And we are always trying to grow and change our operation."