Welcome to our MCI & Associates Agri Advisory Series, Herd it Here, where we discuss hot Agribusiness topics to help support our community within the Tararua District.
Each month we will have a new topic to break down, and for this month we are all about Lambing. Our Red Meat specialist, Ross Harrington, lends you his experience and knowledge to help better your own farming business.
Lamb prices are at an all-time high.
With lamb prices at an all-time high, Ross wants you to think about what you are doing to maximise this opportunity. We understand that every property is different with topography aspect, rainfall, areas of flats, the list goes on, but it’s important to look at why the top twenty per cent maintain their production year-on-year with the only exception being extreme weather events. Take a read of these future-proofing questions that will help you improve your livelihood and your animals.
DATA: Analysing your data is an excellent way to see an overall view of what your farm is producing. When was the last time you did this? Have you been keeping on top of the data coming out of the farm to see if the numbers stack up or if there are some opportunities you are missing? We understand that each season is different, however, it is vital to stay on top of your data so that you are ensuring the best possible future outcome.
GROWTH: Growth is an important part to understand if you want to improve your bottom line. Do you know what the growth rate of your lambs are, how fast are they growing on mum? There are plenty of ways to do this better. Are you using your spring feed in the most profitable way and is the feed going into the right class of stock? There are plenty of ways to add to your bottom line.
WEANING: When it comes to weaning the most profitable lamb, its the one to the work’s straight off mum. So, analysing growth rate through spring is a good way to see how they are tracking and to implement some changes if need be. There are a whole range of strategies around this, again it comes down to the individual property’s strength and weaknesses.
CROPS: How are you adding more value to your lambs? There are many ways to do this and there are plenty of opportunities in the marketplace to capitalise on with new forages coming to the marketplace all the time. From my experience every property has different needs in terms of this, so it’s important to work out what’s going to add value for your property rather than just following trends. It does all come at a cost, so it’s important to ensure you are getting the best bang for buck.
As the old saying goes, any early decision is usually a sound decision and if things improve, count it as a bonus. I’m not by any means saying don’t try and finish your lambs but keep a close eye on the capital stock to ensure your business is profitable, year in, year out.
If you wanted to chat further about how we can support you on your farm, reach out to Ross Harrington via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phoning him on 06 376 7476.