Wool market variable
Targeted types such as some first lambs fleece and oddments resisted a generally weaker market last week, says New Zealand Wool Services International Ltd's general manager, John Dawson. Of the 13,230...
View ArticleStrong currency affects wool
Comparative market reporting based on the radically disparate volumes and types on offer between alternate weeks offerings of North and South Island wools is becoming increasingly difficult, says New...
View ArticleBreed looks to bright future
FAST GROWING, easily delivered lambs with great survivability and conformation: that’s what you can expect when you use a Southdown ram, says breed society president Blair Robertson. “We’re focussed on...
View ArticleLustrous lambs wanted
The hunt is on for lambs with unusually lustrous fleece. Crown Research Institute Agresearch says if you have any such lambs this spring, it wants to hear from you. "We particularly want to understand...
View ArticleUnusually lustrous lambs wanted
IF YOU have any lambs with unusually lustrous fleece this spring, Agresearch wants to hear from you. It wants to investigate what proteins or cellular structure may be special to their wool, and...
View ArticleManaging hoggets for lambs
THE KEY issue with in-lamb hoggets is making sure they continue to grow and ensure that the animal has sufficient feed to allow for the foetus to grow as well, says a leading researcher on the subject....
View ArticleTailing trial work continues
TWO SEASONS into an investigation of the impact of tailing or docking lambs has prompted further analysis to see if longer tails could increase processing revenue by generating extra product for...
View ArticleNow is the time to decide on hogget breeding
April is the month when farmers need to make the final decision about hogget breeding for the year. If managed appropriately hogget breeding can not only increase the number of lambs weaned on a farm...
View ArticleOMG!
The Hound reckons the Jafas from Auckland simply don’t help themselves with their rural cousins. Apparently, the latest fad emerging in the swankier Auckland suburbs is having a pet lamb and prancing...
View ArticleBig lamb losses from rain
Some farmers in Hawkes Bay have suffered big lamb losses as a result of the recent floods. Federated Farmers provincial president Will Foley, who farms in Central Hawkes Bay, lost 400 lambs, and he...
View ArticleA true terminal sire that’s gone in a hurry
Southdown breeder Chris Medlicott says farmers too often focus on the price per lamb instead of the return on kilograms of dry matter eaten. He says more lambs sold off the ewe at weaning equates to...
View ArticleWairarapa stalwart returns to Southdowns
John McFadzean has farmed in Wairarapa all his life and is a staunch supporter of the Southdown as a terminal sire. While he has tried other terminal sire breeds, McFadzean has come back to the...
View ArticleEasy lambing with lambs that grow
Roger Tweeds runs 2300 Romney ewes and 200 hoggets on his 300ha farm near Lawrence, Central Otago. Tweed's been 30 years on his present farm, a mix of river flats and steep country and typically dry in...
View ArticlePrices under par, despite low lamb crop
While the lowest lamb crop in 60 years should support prices, the market is being swamped by other factors at present, says the ASB in its weekly commodities report. These other factors include strong...
View ArticleBetter ram genes do pay off
A North Island trial comparing the value of lambs sired by low versus high genetic merit rams validates that using genetic data does pay off. The "Data Drives Dollars" trial ran this season and aimed...
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