ELDERS stud stock specialist Michael O'Neill is proof that no matter how long you have been in the livestock game, there is always more you can learn, see and do - and it is a rewarding and diverse industry to be a part of.
After being involved in breeding and working in the stud stock industry for 43 years, he was contracted to travel to the Falkland Islands in January to scan sheep the local government wanted entered in the Sheep Genetics Australia (SGA) database.
"They have been members of SGA for quite some time," Mr O'Neill said.
"Australia has a very strong relationship with the Falkland Islands Department of Agriculture, which imports all of the genetics.
"Moojepin, Anderson Polls, Kerin Polls and Centre Plus, are some of the WA and Australian genetics in the Falkland Islands flock."
It is the direct and substantial links to the Australian sheep industry and more over the WA Merino industry that led to Mr O'Neill's involvement.
"There was an Australian lady, Katrina Durham, who worked for the Falkland Island Government - her contract has just finished, and she spoke with Michylla Seal, who works with Genstock here in WA."
Dr Seal has been travelling to the Falkland Islands for about 19 years, conducting an artificial insemination program during May and June.
Mr O'Neill wasn't sure how his name was recommended, but he suspects Dr Seal may have suggested it to Ms Durham.
He received a call and discussed the requirements for the Falklands to remain active on SGA.
"But they needed to maintain their status by scanning, they could not continue to rely on linkages to pull them through," Mr O'Neill said.
"I did speak to the Falkland Island government about 10 years ago, but nothing ever transpired from that.
"Now we have started a biennial scanning program.
"Due to the distance and time constraints, SGA has agreed to allow the Falkland Islands nominated sheep to be scanned every two years as a requirement."
Managing and receiving accurate data on their flock was a priority for local producers wanting to maintain their SGA status and focus on flock improvements.
Mr O'Neill enjoyed the experience and was excited to stay involved.
"I will be honest, visiting the Falkland Islands was never on my bucket list, but after experiencing it firsthand, I can say it should have been," he said.
"They truly love Australian sheep - these have helped transform and improve their genetics and breeding.
"The Falkland Islands Government-owned farm, Saladero Farm, is the main breeding site and is where the ram sales are conducted.
"They don't have an auctioneer, so the ram sales are a Helmsman auction format.
"They put up 250 rams at the annual sale.
"They also have several farmers who breed their own rams, just like they do here."
The Falkland Islands sheep breeding focus is based around its wool type and positive body fat.
Mr O'Neill said the unity between the community, farmers and the government was evident - all having the same goal of making their sheep suited to the unique and harsh environment and maintain profitability for their economy.
"It is one thing that was very obvious, they work together and are very open to new technology and research," Mr O'Neill said.
"They are very much a proactive community and they share ideas.
"They certainly value agriculture and because of their isolation they are motivated to ensure they are embracing information from sources all over the world that will assist them in achieving their aims."
According to the Falkland Islands Department of Agriculture, Saladero Farm was undergoing changes to make it more effective as a research and development and demonstration farm, as well as being the home of the National Stud Flock (NSF) and the National Beef Herd (NBH), which is a mixed breed herd of about 500 breeders.
The annual ram sale is held in March, with the sale comprises what they refer to as shearling rams and ex-elite mature rams.
"The NSF has reached the genetic goals set five years ago of having an average micron of 22; an average mature sheep greasy fleece weight of five kilograms and improved carcase characteristics (mature liveweight of 45kgs)," the Saladero Farm page said.
"This has been achieved through using an index to select sheep on all characteristics simultaneously and to ensure that as the micron was reducing, body size (carcase characteristics) and weight was increasing."
The prevailing westerly wind is the most dominant characteristic of Falklands weather and Mr O'Neill said it could be gusting up to 80km an hour on a normal day, with the average rainfall being 450-500 millimetres.
The country's proximity to South America, being 480km east of Patagonia in Argentina, is not what defines the nation or its people, rather the fact it is a British colony with a thriving economy based on its prosperous squid fishing and sheep breeding/wool industries gives the Falklands its .
"There are about 700 squid licences in the Falklands," Mr O'Neill said.
"The squid is absolutely delicious and it is their most profitable commodity, along with their sheep flock.
"The national sheep flock at Saladero produces about 2500 bales of wool annually and the bulk of the entire wool clip for the Falkland is grown on East Falkland."
The environment is harsh and the adaptability of the sheep is why they have been able to survive and taken on such a dominant role for the Falkland Islands.
The Falkland Islands comprise 12,173 square kilometres of land, which is home to a 500,000 head, sheep flock, which translates to about 41 ewes per km2, or 135 ewes per permanent resident.
Sheep are that entrenched in the Falklands way of life, they hold pride of place on the top of the flag.
The Falkland Islands has about 3700 permanent residents, there are a further 2500 military personnel on the British base and during peak tourist season there are about 1000 contractors also presiding in the Falklands.
The sheep graze mainly native pastures at a rate of 0.5 DSE.
There are about 80 owner-occupier farms and several large government-owned farms, with Saladero being the main site.
"The grazing is very tough due to the environmental conditions," Mr O'Neill said.
"It offers little in the way of nutrition, so it is important that the sheep have extra condition in the form of fat.
"That is one of the main differences between Falklands sheep and ours is that they carry a little more cover than ours, in terms of fats.
"They are grazed on Tussac grass for most of the year, which is like straw in terms of nutritional content."
He said the sheep were not supplementary fed, showing how well they have adapted to the weather conditions and survived so well.
There are no natural predators, with the native fox no longer in existence and the isolated location also ensured a disease and parasitic pest free location.
"There might be the occasional lamb lost to a Petril," Mr O'Neill said.
"Other than that the other way they occasionally lose a few sheep is when they wander out at low tide to graze the kelp beds and then find themselves stranded and open to the Leopard seals when the tide comes in."
The flock was largely based on a Corriedale/Polwarth cross and had a coarse wool clip - Polwarths are an Australian cross of 75pc Merino and 25pc Lincoln.
Over the years there has been the importation of Merino, Dohne, Prime SAMM, Afrino and several other breeds largely from Australia, but also shipments from New Zealand and South Africa.
Improved flock development has also benefited the country's wool clip.
"They don't select rams on multiples because of the tough conditions," Mr O'Neill said.
"They also only mate ewe hoggets to give them time to mature and put on the optimum condition.
"They also like to keep an eye on post weaning weight.
"Lambing takes place in September and the lambs need to be strong to survive, so fat is extremely important and growers are content with an 80pc lambing.
"Put it this way, a traditional Wheatbelt sheep from here would not survive in the Falklands conditions.
"They still have a little way to go with their wool, but it is receiving the same values that we do.
"The opportunity to understand farming practices in extremely different environments and the elements that farming communities must overcome to have a profitable enterprise, was a very rewarding experience.
"This is all barged or ferried up to Uruguay for testing and sold via English-based wool brokers.
"I scanned about 2000 sheep that were eligible to go into the SGA database and we collected 200 pieces of data."
The ewe heavy flock has a micron range from 18-33, with a staple length of 80-100mm.
Its wool type is excellent for spinning and felting - making it a great knitting yarn with both softness and structure.
The clip is exceptionally bright white in colour, which is attributed to the climate of the islands, and absence of many types of bacteria that can cause colour variation.
This makes it an excellent choice when seeking a natural bright white or a base for dyeing.
Mr O'Neill said it was fantastic to experience the hospitality of the locals and see how resilient the sheep were in such harsh conditions.
He said the willingness to learn and embrace new practices and the community working towards the same goal made this non-traditional location a haven for breeding sheep.
The trip was planned to be two weeks, however, the weather is quite wild in the South Atlantic and with the runway being on the military base, the military decides whether or not it is safe to fly.
As a result Mr O'Neill and his wife Vicki's stay was extended to just over three weeks.
Mr O'Neill will return to the Falkland Islands in two years to develop the relationship with the Australian sheep industry and see how their breeding goals were progressing.
Tamara Hooper
Journalist with Farm Weekly newspaper WA.
Journalist with Farm Weekly newspaper WA.
