Page 4 - Calga Dohnes Newsletter 2020_Flip Book Neat

Our Dohnes have excellent feed conversion rates and we can
feed less to the ewes to keep them at fat score 3. We sell
Dohne wether lambs in June/July and they are ready for sale 4-
The Dohne breed thriving in
6 weeks earlier than our pre 2009 breeding lines. Last year’s X-
north western Victoria bred lambs were sold on 3rd March 2020 for an average of
$246 at an average weight of 27.88kg. The heavier portion were
sold in Bendigo Saleyards for $280 each.
Neale & Kay Holt Edenhope VIC
For us, the Dohnes have been able to get our flock moving in
A conversation with Bruce Barnes-Webb at the Australian the direction we wanted to take. We cut quality wool, have high
Sheep and Wool Show in 2009 convinced us to buy our first fertility rates and have quick maturing lambs. We have found
Dohne rams. We were growing medium Merino wool and while them to be a hardy sheep with a strong constitution that have
it was important to maintain the quality of our wool we also performed very well and have met our expectations.
wanted to focus more strongly on meat production. Our mixed
cropping and sheep farm is in north central Victoria with a po-
tential average rainfall of 450mm and red loam/heavy clay
soils. The grazing paddocks are either lucerne or clover based.
We run a self- replacing flock with 50-60% of ewes joined to
Dohne rams (the remainder are joined to White Suffolk terminal
sires) for an August lambing. This decision to move to Dohnes
was made because of the impact of volatile and low wool pric-
es, a growing frustration with the Merino ewes’ fertility rates
and unnecessary lamb losses due to their comparatively poor
mothering ability.

When choosing Dohne rams we wanted to maintain the attrib-
utes of Merino wool and settled on DD Dohnes. This stud’s wool
quality is what we look for; white fleeces with well crimped,
long staples. Our wool quality has been maintained and unex-
pectedly the micron improved. Since 2010 our wool’s micron
has decreased from 21-22 to 20-20.5, and the weaners wool has
decreased from 19-19.5 to 17-17.5 mic with no other husbandry
changes.

The Dohne breed has thrived here. In our first year of breeding
Dohne lambs there was an instant lambing increase of 5-10%
that we attribute to both the ease of birthing due to the low
birth weight, and the early vigour of the lambs. Currently, scan-
ning rates for maiden ewes are around 140% and ewes have
scanned up to 165%. Ewes begin lambing on 1st August and
require little, if any, assistance. We stay out of the paddocks as
they lamb and have very few problems. August 2019 drop shorn wethers at Neale & Kay Holts Edenhope
property in central west VIC.
The year it was Wool prices expected to remain

Stuart Davidson - Calga Station Farm Manager Coonamble
softer
During the continuing dry of 2019, which saw 240ha of planted Kym Hannaford, Nutrien Wool Wagga
wheat turned it 600+ bales of hay and the 180ha of oats har-
vested to produce 160ton of feed grain, our focus was still to Solid demand characterised the final sale before the three-
feed and maintain the wellbeing of the three studs, with joining week mid-year sale recess. The national offering was 35,262
just around the corner. The decision and investment was made bales, up 4,441 bales on last week. The national clearance rate
into building a drought containment area. Consisting of 12 pens was 93.8% as buyers sought to secure sufficient quantity to fill
at 30mx80m and feeding a TMR of sorghum silage, chickpea upcoming export orders and growers were prepared to meet
gradings, hay, lime and salt. Ewes were in excellent condition the market. The EMI recorded its second consecutive weekly
for joining, overall it was a success with excellent scanning price rise gaining 18 cents to 1,134 c/kg clean continuing the
results and also reducing labour times for feeding. positive start to the new wool selling season. (Week ending
10th July 2020)
Going into April with already 200mls of rain for the year was a
fantastic start for the winter crops, but after three years of I don’t think the demand after the recess is going to be anything
ongoing drought and some of the paddocks getting away from but sluggish. There is a lot of wool tested and ready to offer as
not bearing the cost of chemical for no return we decided to well as a lot of wool being held on property. As we get into the
focus on what was manageable and the better soil types for spring I expect some of the new seasons wool to have better
this years crop. yields and strength. These wools will attract more competition
in the auction room than the more drought affected wool. ( Low
All up we put in 485ha of oats and 465ha of barley and 4400ha yielding and high mid breaks) Depending on your circumstanc-
of wheat, which is coming along well with small falls of in crop es and as most of what you hear says things are not going to
rain. improve anytime soon I would be selling wool if it was mine.
After all if you average it over the last three years it’s not too
bad.