Breed and feed are crucial on Bruce Rock farm

To nurture a resilient livestock enterprise with longevity and productivity, choosing the right breed and maximising feed suited to the surrounding environment is paramount.

Western Australian sheep and cropping farmers are among the most productive in the world, continually finding innovative ways to maximise feed outputs and breed the optimum sheep, all in one of the driest environments on earth.

It's no mean feat, but it's a challenge relished by primary producers such as Kate and Owen Hayes-Thompson, who farm a 5000 hectare family property at Bruce Rock, cropping 3000ha and dedicating 2000ha to their breed of choice; the Merino.

In recent years, the Hayes-Thompsons have consolidated the strengths of their mixed farming enterprise, in conjunction with Owen's parents Bryce and Jennifer.

That meant concentrating on improving the efficiency of their 2400 Merino ewe flock, while also considering how they could maximise feed outputs with their existing land and soil types.

The Hayes-Thompsons felt they had reached a pivotal point in their farming careers where they were confident enough to do things a little differently, making small but instrumental changes to the way things were run.

One of their main farming goals over the past few years has been feed management and adopting different ways in which they can maximise outputs, applying changes to both their cropping and livestock business.

For the first time, the Hayes-Thompsons planted 180ha of Illabo wheat in March this year, a winter wheat variety they wanted to trial as an extra feed option for their Merino ewes during lambing.

Most varieties planted throughout the Wheatbelt are traditionally of the spring wheat variety, but by seeding Illabo in March, it allowed 260 of their pregnant Merino ewes to graze the crop and lamb onto lush feed.

The ewes lambed onto the 180ha of Illabo throughout early June, to graze the crop and then be turned off to well-established pastures in July, giving the winter wheat crop a chance to recover, ensuring it will be ready to harvest in summer.

It's just one small way the family aims to maximise and balance its feed ratios and stocking rate.

It currently runs 2400 Merino ewes, 1200 of which are joined to Merino rams, with the remaining 1200 joined to Afrino and Suffolk rams for prime lamb production.

A steadfast part of their operation remains the Merino as their baseline breed of choice, with its multi-faceted market options and breeding capabilities ensuring a permanent place on the Hayes-Thompson's farm.

Merinos have been a common sight among the Hayes-Thompson's paddocks ever since Mr Hayes-Thompson's grandfather, originally from Kellerberrin, returned from World War Two and settled the Bruce Rock property.

Despite having ventured into the prime lamb industry, Owen maintains the Merino as the ultimate breeding ewe and runs a self-replacing flock to ensure their genetics and breeding traits are evolving in line with current markets.

"We've always had Merino sheep, and I still believe the Merino is our most profitable mother," Mr Hayes-Thompson said.

"You've got so many different market options, with the wool, meat and being able to produce a solid prime lamb.

"Over the last couple of years, we've really been taking a close look at the numbers.

"We've even backed off our cropping program this year as a direct result of higher input costs, because we could see there's currently more money in sheep.

"Just in April we purchased an extra 750 Merino wethers, and those animals will easily turn grass into meat and wool with minimal effort and input from us."

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On the back of a bumper year in 2021, this year is shaping up to be another favourable wet season for much of the Wheatbelt region, which has really boosted pasture feed supply.

Two solid seasons couldn't have come at a better time, as it has coincided with the Hayes-Thompsons choosing to boost their capacity for sending large volumes of sheep through their feedlot.

They played around with the idea and experimented for a few years before fully committing to a commercially viable feedlot system over the past two years.

Last year they regularly purchased lambs throughout spring, putting just over 10,000 onto their abundant pastures first, then finishing them through their feedlot with their own grain, seconds from a local seed cleaner and pellets over the summer months.

Once the lambs reached commercially viable weights they were sold to processors, with the last of the lambs being sold by March and April this year.

Establishing a feedlot ensures the Hayes-Thompsons are not only maximising the shallow, rocky country not suited to cropping on their farm, but also creating a complementary enterprise and income stream alongside a traditional mixed cropping and livestock operation.

As for the breeding side of their sheep business, the Hayes-Thompsons have dabbled in prime lamb production on and off over 20 years, largely influenced by market demand.

However, they maintained control over their Merino breeding objectives by running a self-replacing Merino flock, producing and then choosing their own breeding ewes with desirable traits as replacement mothers.

Mr Hayes-Thompson's father Bryce has a keen eye for Merino sheep and classes the ewes every year, selecting the top animals best suited to their breeding program.

Mr Hayes-Thompson said they have been aiming to produce a large, plain-bodied animal with a bare head, udder and legs, hardy enough to handle Wheatbelt conditions.

Breeding season commences when the Merino, Afrino and Suffolk rams celebrate bringing in the new year on January 1, joining the ewes for six weeks at two per cent.

Lambing has consistently been above 100pc for both the Merino and prime lamb operations when they arrive through the months of June and July, with the Merinos averaging 105pc and prime lambs 120pc.

While the main shearing occurs in March, the ewes are crutched in September and at the same time their lambs are weaned onto pastures, joining other lambs that have been purchased externally for lotfeeding.

Then all the lambs are shorn toward the end of October before harvest and intensive feedlotting begins.

Their mature ewe wool cut averages around 20 micron and 5.5 kilograms, with the main aim of producing plenty of free-growing, white, bright wool that's soft to the touch.

Such is their commitment to wool production, the Hayes-Thompson family is looking to upgrade its 1960s shearing shed facilities with newer technology and a more productive and welcoming interior within the next five years.

"At the end of the day, the type of sheep we run needs to be a viable business decision, and that is the Merino mother for us," Ms Hayes-Thompson said.

"We think the most money is with Merino mothers and a first cross prime lamb operation, as it gives us so many more options for income streams.

"Yes, there may be additional costs involved with Merinos like shearing and crutching, but we are very lucky to have great local contractors who make it easier for us.

"We are about running easy care sheep and that has allowed us to also focus on maximising our feed management."

In addition to the Illabo wheat trial, the Hayes-Thompsons have spent the past five years using a disc seeding system and stripper front on the header.

They are essentially only stripping the grain from the head of the wheat and leaving stubbles as high as possible, which gives them the option of more feed, wind and soil protection and the confidence to increase their stocking rate.

Mr Hayes-Thompson admits this method is not without its challenges, particularly at seeding time working around tall stubble and a small percentage of grain loss at harvest.

However, the higher and protective tall stubbles and the self-sown pastures seem to be working extremely well as extra feed for their pregnant and lambing ewes.

He believes there's a wide scope of potential for producers to adopt small changes in order to maximise their existing sheep base and cropping program.

The Hayes-Thompsons remain continually curious about the latest innovations, approaches and technology available to benefit both their cropping and livestock systems, ensuring their production remains relevant and profitable, even in fluctuating markets.