THE skies were clear, the canola crops were in full bloom, but it was Dorper sheep that took centre stage for the Dorper Field Day at the Toodyay Showgrounds on August 18.
The Dorper Lamb brand is synonymous with quality here in Western Australia and nationwide, making it no surprise that there was a truckload of around 80 commercial producers in attendance on the day.
It is the first time the event has been held in Toodyay and after a successful day in Donnybrook earlier in the year Australian Dorper Sheep Society chairman, Kim Batten, said it was great to see so many commercial growers in attendance from across WA, with a lot of new faces in the mix.
"I think the real point of difference between this day as compared to previous ones, was that people wanted to see the sheep that were from other producers and the differences between them," Mr Batten said.
"Being able to view the sheep in person and discuss the selection traits, nutrition and view examples of Dorpers grown in different areas, was an excellent way to illustrate the adaptability of the breed.
"It was really good for producers to compare and see where each breeder is at, with their sheep.
"But probably the most exciting part of the day for commercial producers was the numerous marketing options available for Dorpers and the changes from the traditional sheep breeding enterprises, where people are shifting to increased production through methods like three lambings in two years.
"This was why nutrition was a major focus of the day."
Mr Batten said the Dorper brand was fast becoming an international name, thanks to the work of the brand Dorper Lamb and the quality of the sheep being produced right here in WA.
"Our branding is leading us to being the Angus of the sheep world," Mr Batten said.
He said they were constantly looking at providing the quantitative data to back up the common preference people have for Dorper meat.
"We constantly have people saying they love the taste of Dorper meat.
"We know there is a lower melting point for the fat content in Dorper meat, we need to work out why that is.
"This is why field days like this are excellent."
Mr Batton said they also appreciated the support of Meat & Livestock Australia that could not attend the day due to COVID-19 restrictions, but the organisation's assistance allowed the field day to happen.
The field day itself was a hands-on program aimed at providing commercial considerations for both breeders and growers, with practical advice on key areas like nutrition and selection traits.
Insights included Dorper Lamb general manager, Dale Miles, who discussed carcase value attributes and increased global export demand for Dorper Lamb products.
The WA company has been processing and exporting its branded Dorper Lamb range for more than 16 years and works closely with its ever growing network of Dorper farmers for lamb supply.
Dorper lamb is experiencing unparalleled demand for its product - particularly from discerning customers and end-consumers who have an appreciation for a clean fresh tasting lamb product that carries a superior meat eating quality.
Dorper Lamb supplies a range of chilled and frozen vacuum packed cuts and whole lamb carcase to domestic and export markets.
"South East Asia remains a consistently strong market for us due to its proximity to Western Australia and ever-increasing middle income consumer class who are seeking healthy red meat protein choices backed by a quality brand that is traceable, trusted and eats well," Mr Miles said.
"We are also experiencing increased volumes into North America who have a growing appreciation for our Dorper Lamb."
Growers are taking note of the Dorper breed as an efficient and highly adaptable breed to a range of production systems from large extensive grazing in the low rainfall zone to more intensive systems in the higher rainfall zones of the South West and South Coast.
Drawing on his years of experience and comprehensive knowledge of breeding Dorper sheep, Adrian Veitch, Kaya Dorper Narrogin, was on hand throughout the day to demonstrate and share his practical insights to the Dorper breed including selection traits for commercial growers and managing Dorpers to achieve optimum production results.
"Under good management and nutrition, Dorpers can be a highly efficient and profitable option in most production systems due to their fertility, do-ability and low input, high output nature," Mr Veitch said.
Mr Batten said the capacity of the Dorper breed was such that it did not fit in with the traditional guidelines for sheep production.
"Our feed and nutrition guidelines are so different they cannot be based on the traditional guidelines that are more for Merino sheep," Mr Batten said.
"But the growers that have adjusted their regimes and are doing it right are having exceptional gross margins."
The need for a customised nutrition program, targeted to the area, seasonal conditions and breeding aims, for Dorper breeders, was reiterated by Nutrien Ag Solutions animal health and nutrition specialist Bronwen Fowler.
Ms Fowler said a core part of her presentation was the contrasted grazing habits between Dorpers and Merinos.
"Basically, depending on if they are in an intensive situation, or extensive, as to how far they will travel," she said.
"Their intake is lower than a Merino, but because of their metabolic size, being a larger animal, it is similar.
"The other factors that drive intake like rumin capacity, nutritional wisdom, palatability of feeds, with Dorpers being less selective than Merinos - Merinos will always choose the green pick, whereas Dorpers will be less selective.
"Energy is key, but the biggest concern a lot of Dorper growers have is being able to control their condition score - making sure they get their ultimate condition score for joining or pre-joining and then maintaining that condition score so that we don't have ewes that are too fat coming into the lambing period.
"This was also the biggest question from producers on the day, wanting to know how to control ewe condition score."
Another area Ms Fowler discussed was the importance of getting mineral supplementation right, depending on what feed sources were being provided for example grain supplements or stubbles.
"It is important to put calcium into their diet, so that the blood calcium to phosphorus level is at 2:1, over the dry period," she said.
The importance of pregnancy scanning, in understanding where the ewes are at, to be able to target the correct animals and control condition scores without wasting time or money in the management of this.
Ms Fowler said this was especially important in discerning the difference in feed between singles and multiples.
"This pre-lambing preparation really fitted in well with what Kelly Gorter discussed in relation to EIDs," Ms Fowler said.
"Using that information stored on the animals for so many other areas, like nutrition, culling and retention decisions."
She said the average daily growth rate of Dorper lambs showed they required at least three megajoules less than Merinos; according to research done in the Journal of Animal Science.
"So Dorper's are actually a much better feed converter," Ms Fowler.
"It is important to test fodder, especially when buying in feed, to know what protein levels and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) are, to balance your ration and get that right."
Ms Fowler discussed the use of confinement paddocks to assist with control of condition pre-joining and pre-lambing, almost like having a Jenny Craig paddock to ensure ewes were not gaining too much condition.
"What is really important in this period right now is to make sure, while animals are on green feed, they have access to fibre, magnesium and salt," she said.
Ms Fowler said the other main area she spoke on was the need to really be hands-on with body condition scoring animals.
"You really need to run your hands over the ewes in the yards and feel their bodies," she said.
"Don't just visual score them, actually feel them and make sure they are maintaining their body condition, especially with ewes and multiple bearing ewes, to get more evenly sized lambs and higher lamb survival."
KG Livestock Services owner Kelly Gorter informed attendees how commercial Dorper producers could utilise EID technology in their business.
While the basics of what EID tags are and how they work was fairly simple it was how the information, the tags can store, can be used to increase productivity and management that was of interest to producers.
"There are two categories or types of information you can record with EID," Ms Gorter said.
"For Dorpers, obviously there is no wool product, so producers are wanting to get as many lambs as possible from them, so looking at more lambs and better quality ones.
"Looking at weighing them, growth rates for individual animals and using that data to your advantage.
"Then looking at easy care, the traits that make the animals easier to run and care for and using all that information when you are making selection decisions."
Ms Gorter said a common misconception was that the tags stored the information, but it was not the tags themselves, rather it was the software programs they were linked to.
One of the questions that people asked on the day was which tags were best for long-term use, in terms of staying in and quality.
For those who are interested in EID technology and don't know how to go about it, they can use someone like Ms Gorter, KD Livestock Services, to assist them in the process.
Attendees on the day were treated to a sumptuous lunch offering of Dorper Lamb, catered by one of Perth's prominent Indonesian chefs, Tony Darwinto, Fluffy Lamb, who has been using Dorper Lamb in his creative Asian-inspired cuisine.
"I use Dorper Lamb as it has a moderate yet full flavour profile - it's tender and is versatile to a range of cooking styles," Mr Darwinto said.
Behind the scenes Dorper Lamb has also invested a fair bit of time and resources to launch a genuine Dorper Leather Boot range, which were also on display at the field day.
The classic Australian styled Dorper Lamb Leather boots were developed as a whole-of-carcase value-add.
They are handcrafted with artisanal-style workmanship; each Dorper skin produces a pair of boots with a timeless design and a stylish edge.
A full range of men's and women's styles and sizes are available in a range of five colours named after iconic WA rivers; The Blackwood (Black), The Gibb (Brown), and The Murchison (Tan), The Pallinup (Cognac) and The Fortescue (Chestnut) and currently available for ordering online at dorperlamb.com.au or at Dorper Lamb, 68 Baile Road, Canningvale.
The day was very successful for both attendees and the organisers.
"The Dorper Sheep Society of Australia continues to support commercially focused days such as this and plans are under way for another day in early 2022," Mr Batten said.
"It is important that we give producers as much information as possible to allow their Dorper enterprise to thrive.
"It is an exciting time for Dorper producers with huge demand for their product so the more lambs we can get on the ground the better."
