The 2100 ewes fit in nicely with their cropping operation – growing specialist seed and commodity crops – which is carried out on the 100ha of the farm that is irrigated.
After weaning the ewes are tightened up over summer, cleaning up crop residues and sprayed-out paddocks. However, when February arrives the main focus is getting body condition on those ewes for mating.
Hamish explains that they have the ability to put a lot of weight – up to 12kg – on the ewes using saved pasture, triticale silage, or grain. He believes this flushing effect is part of the reason they have such a high scanning and lambing percentage.
Genetics also plays an important part in ewe fertility. The introduction of Wairere’s TefRom genetics seven years ago represented a quantum shift in Hamish and Andrea’s sheep operation.
The TefRom’s are a quarter Texel, a quarter East Friesian, and half Wairere Romney. In the first year they increased their lambing percentage (survival to sale) by 25%.
The move to these crossbred genetics came about through Hamish and Andrea’s involvement in Chris Mulvaney’s StockCare programme, formerly known as Sheep for Profit.
They have now been part of the programme for 15 years. Analysis of their management over 10 years showed that it was their existing genetics that were the weakest link in their business. Their ewes were just not capable of the performance the couple were striving for.
While the ewes were scanning 180% they couldn’t get over a 120% survival to sale, which was very frustrating.
Hamish points out that for many years he thought it was his management that was holding the ewes back.
“We had no records – we didn’t have a clue. But when [after joining Sheep for Profit] we started to drill down we identified that it was the genetics holding us back.”
Hamish Reid drenches ewes on his Canterbury farm.
The couple also grow-out replacement ewe lambs for Banks Peninsula hill-country farmers. Hamish says they started off with just one farmer and word spread so, depending on the year, they may be running 2000 ewe hoggets.
These arrive in December and leave the farm in June. They are not mated.
Hamish and Andrea do, however, mate their own hoggets. They are grown out to an average mating weight of 50kg on lucerne, although they cut out the bigger ewe lambs and run these on grass. This gives lighter lambs more opportunity to gain weight going into mating in April.
A South Down ram is used over the hoggets. Hamish says they have no lambing issues with these genetics.
Capsules are used on light multiple-bearing ewes and everything is drenched pre-lamb. Because they are always bringing stock on to the farm the couple are very careful about quarantine drenching and use a combination drench such as Startect or Matrix.
Ewe lambs are vaccinated with Covexin 10 and this has eliminated loses on lucerne. The ewe lambs are run on to lucerne after weaning and left there as long as possible to grow out to their mating weight.
Hamish says they have only been mating hoggets for six years and feels the secret is to wean them early, before Christmas, to give the rising two-tooths plenty of opportunity to recover before the ram goes out.
The hoggets scan about 140% and lamb 110%.
While Hamish and Andrea have no desire to get into dairy support, they will buy in carry-over cows and run a few dairy heifers depending on feed availability and markets.
But the focus is very much on sheep, which are increasingly rare on the Canterbury Plains.
Measuring up
Having been part of StockCare for a decade-and-a-half Hamish and Andrea Reid hold 15 years of records, which is all part of the quality assurance behind the Kumanu brand.
Hamish admits the constant monitoring and measuring – body condition scoring five to six times a year – required as part of StockCare and the Kumanu brand does initially take discipline but is now just an ingrained part of their management.
It also gives the couple data. The information generated from this data is used to identify any emerging issues and allows them to make decisions early. This can include strategic drenching or adding extra feed at certain times of the year.
“It’s about measuring. There is no rocket science about it – it’s just so simple,” Hamish says.
