2016 Newsletter
Welcome
Print Newsletter – Click Here
Kardinia Dohnes continue to shine as we move towards the 2016 spring ram selling season.
The winter season at Kardinia has been extremely wet but as spring is fast approaching the emerging sun and warmth will bring good pasture growth. Our 2016 lamb drop are already on the ground and the ewes and their offspring continue to thrive and grow under these conditions. Dohnes are renowned for being great mothers and even under the adverse weather conditions they continually protect and guard their lambs. We often comment that Dohne ewes can count which again reinforces their amazing mothering ability in raising their off spring.
The future for Dohnes is certainly looking promising with Dohne genetics now influencing 20 per cent of Australian commercial flock breeding ewes. Coupled with the buoyant lamb and wool market has certainly driven the evolvement of the Dohne in recent times and producers are encouraged by the profits they are seeing from their Dohne flock.
We look forward to catching up at our upcoming sales and events and discussing your breeding programme and ram selection for the coming season.
Kardinia Dohnes “winners” at Australian Sheep and Wool Show
Dohnes finally arrived to the national show ring unveiling a unique judging system combining objective data and subjective assessment at the recent Australian Sheep and Wool Show.
The judging drew 60 rams from four states and featured a weighted index for carcass and wool traits, combined with visual assessment. The objective system, which comprised 65% of the total score for each entry, was devised by sheep industry consultant Geoff Duddy, Yanco, NSW. The system used Australian Sheep Breeding Values focusing on a 70% weighting on post weaning weight, post weaning eye muscle depth and post weaning fat, and 30 per cent on yearling clean fleece weight.
Our 4 rams that were entered in the Junior Pairs section were victorious winning 1st and 3rd place across a strong field. Our winning Junior Pair went on to take out the Supreme Pairs Champion award. Kardinia’s championship
pair combined high performance, almost identical EBV’s, conformational correctness along with a long stapled, stylish and well nourished white wool to win the Supreme Championship Pair over the older senior champion pair. The particularly pleasing aspect of the win was that both rams were the first crop of young sire KD13.0622. this sire has a pedigree of top performing animals and is now reflecting that breeding in his progeny. He produces a type that is long bodied and has a great wool that is crimpy, nourished and very long.
Global Dohne Conference
What a busy week starting with the National Sheep and Wool Show culminating in the inaugural global Dohne Conference “milestone” event at Dubbo. The conference drew international delegates from across the globe and local delegates from across the nation.
The programme including a line-up of high profile industry speakers, sheep and trade displays, a fashion parade of the Australian Wool International Runway collection, a formal dinner and the National Dohne Ram Sale. Kardinia offered 1 ram for sale with this young sire attracted interest from several interstate studs and sold to Midgery stud from northern NSW .KD15.2234 has good all round EBV trait figures and is an early maturing sheep with good shape and muscle. He is by first season sire KD13.0935 who is an early maturing sire showing great promise.
The week culminated in the Annual General Meeting which was strongly attended. The key messages heard by delegates is the Dohne is unique, it ticks all the boxes, meat, wool and high fertility delivering measureable profit drivers. Dohnes are certainly the smart choice.
Kardinia – International Travellers
Kardinia continues to supply Dohne genetics to overseas clients and were extremely encouraged to hear international delegates at the recent global Dohne conference as to how Kardinia genetics are influencing their flocks. We are currently working with clients to finalise those current orders in preparation for the start of their breeding seasons. A limited number of genetic packages are still available that have already been through the rigorous AQIS international health certification process and can be immediately sent overseas to fulfil your order. These animals were on display at the Global Dohne Conference and attracted a high number of enquiries and interest, please contact us if you require any further information.
Jose Gutierrez, Chile, Don Mills, Kardinia Dohne Stud, and Jim Sama, Argentina
JBS Southern Lamb Producer of the Year.
Dohne lamb continues to shine placing 3 times in the Top 10 at the JBS Southern Lamb Producer of the year. In conjunction with MLA Livestock Data Link (LDL) they launched the system through the JBS Farm Assurance Producer from a cohort of 2000 producers. Congratulations to Kardinia clients Jarrod and Jeff Andrews who placed in the top 10 and head to www.kardiniadohnes.com.au and listen to an interview with overall winner Wayne Hawkins on the success of Dohnes in his commercial flock.
Sustainable Wool Production
The wool consumer is increasingly demanding a higher level of traceability along the pipeline of the production system from which they buy. Not only does the product need to be of the highest quality, there also needs to be a compelling “story” behind the product clearly showing the highest level of environmental and social sustainability and animal welfare. There is already a groundswell from industry brands and consumer groups to demand that wool be produced under a set of standards that is transparent and fully audited ensuring traceability from animal through to the catwalk. The world leaders in the wool industry are already talking about “price reductions” for those wool growers who are unable to supply non mulesed wool. Let’s be ready to take on that challenge. Kardinia ceased mulesing in 2006 and are already supplying wool into those key markets.
Reserve Champion Ram Fleece 2016 Australian Sheep and Wool Show
Lifetime Ewe Management (LTEM)
Is a nationally recognised “hands on” training programme that Kardinia have been involved in with a group of local sheep producers undertaking six meetings so far that began prior to the reproductive cycle. We have been lucky enough to work with Geoff Duddy an extremely skilled facilitator who has a 27 year background in both research and extension capacity for the NSW DPI. Geoff now works in his own sheep consultancy business and has lead up through the programme helping us better our skills at increasing ewe condition and nutrition improvements. Each meeting was strategically timed to coincide with key stages of the reproductive cycle. We visited all properties throughout the first year working with a chosen mob to monitor and assess current and future pasture requirements. Subsequently a feed budget is completed on each property and a feeding plan developed. First year completed and we look forward to receiving notification of the Year 2 programme to go ahead as planned so we can better develop our skills through the Nationally Registered Training programme.
Review Your Current Ram Team
Don works with many of our clients to establish a written breeding objective with breeding values cut offs. The first step should be to audit each ram in your current sire battery against those thresholds. It may be that some rams in your team no longer have the required level of performance to meet your targets and if your annual budget spend allows, these rams should be replaced. Under performing rams don’t add any value to your profits.
Selecting Better Rams
Ensure that you use the best of the objectives information and visual appraisal to make your selection on sale day and buy better rams than the ones you have at home. Make sure you classer understands how to use ASBV’s so everyone is making an informed choice based on all criteria.
Tip – If your classer doesn’t come on board using ASBV’s and uses them as part of the decision making tree for ram selection, find a new classer!! Technology and innovation drives the future, not the old historical stand alone visual classing tool that now belongs with the dinosaur age!! It is not time to be sentimental.
