Mixed arable farmers cut lamb stocks

• Published date: 10 April 2024
• Publication title: Central Rural Life

This was the key message from a panel of four growers outlining drivers for profitability at a Foundation for Arable Research and Beef + Lamb New Zealand winter grazing seminar in Rakaia

Methven farmer John McCaw told farmers that his arable farm was focused on cocksfoot and ryegrass seed production as well as growing vegetable seed and cereals.

The property normally traded 4000 to 5000 lambs a year, but these numbers would be back this year, he said.

‘‘We buy lambs based on our ryegrass seed crop area for the following spring, at 35 lambs a hectare. This gives us a few extras, so we can get a draft away before winter.’’

Lambs were bought in autumn, after harvest, and initially grazed autumn-sown cocksfoot before being wintered on greenfeed oats, rape and fodder beet. In early spring, lambs were used to graze ryegrass paddocks before these were shut up for seed production.

‘‘Every paddock on the farm, apart from two last year, had stock across them.

‘‘We find the system works well for income generation as well as crop management, particularly the cocksfoot in the autumn and the ryegrass control in the spring.’’

Dairy grazing was another income earner as the farm had had an arrangement with the same dairy farmer for 15 years.

About 300 heifer calves arrived just before Christmas, and stayed until they were 18-month-old in-calf heifers and ready to return to the dairy farm. About 750 dairy cows were grazed in winter.

Methven farmer George Lilley said in the past couple of years lamb numbers at his farm had dropped by 1500 lambs to 2500-3000, while dairy cow numbers had lifted from 400 to 600 cows.

This was mainly for profitability and to reduce the risk of holding so many lambs.

The farm was largely ryegrass based, with wheat, barley and break crops in a four-year rotation.

While the return per kilogram of dry matter was better with dairy grazing, this needed to be balanced against the damage dairy stock could do to paddocks and the potential difficulty in establishing crops in them the following spring, he said.

Rakaia farmer Simon Lochhead said as a mainly no-till farmer he aimed to limit soil damage and in recent years had been exclusively lamb grazing.

However, the farm had historically carried out dairy grazing and cows would be returning this year. This was for more profitability, and to diversify and spread risk.

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