But targeted improvement of lower lying country and a marked lift in fertility on the mid-hill has produced better than expected growth rates in young stock.
“It’s outperformed to what we expected. We thought we would only ever do store stock but last year our lambs were killed at an average of 19kg,” Richard says.
The lamb result raised the question of whether weaner finishing would stack up. Spurred on by Advance Party analysis of the same move by a nearby farmer, Richard did his own sums and calculated a $175 gross margin. That was all the convincing he needed to take the plunge.
The new production focus has already brought changes to management and feeding. Preparation started pre-winter with the first round of hind culling. A second cull followed at scanning and has reduced the breeding herd by 400 to 1100.
Richard says the weaners will effectively eat what the 400 hinds (880 stock units) would have. However, there will be a slight change to winter crops with the inclusion of high protein, high energy fodder beet for the first time. A 15ha crop will be grown and 10ha grazed by weaners and the remainder to hinds at one of the three feed pads used over winter. The weaners’ winter diet will also include swedes, chou and silage.
A major change in the management calendar will be the move from post-rut weaning in mid-April to pre-rut weaning in early March. The shift will benefit hinds, fawns and sheep, which are the major income earners at Sunnyside.
Hinds and fawns used to be brought down from the developing hill blocks in mid-February to graze the flats along with ewes and lambs until mid-April. But it placed too much pressure on flat country grass cover.
Earlier weaning will mean the focus can go on the weaners which will move around the flats in mobs according to sex and weight, getting first pick at the best pastures.
Hinds are helping develop the 400ha of hill country on Sunnyside Station.
The Greers bought 1500 of Sunnyside’s existing Red hind herd when they moved to the station in 2010. The hinds have helped in the development of the hill blocks, trampling the sprayed, dead gorse.
When development is finished the hinds will spend most of the time on the hill’s cocksfoot-based pastures. They’ll be sorted into age mobs and come off the hill on to one of three feed pads in early winter, then go back up the hill for feeding on HT swedes.
Sunnyside is well set up for deer with plenty of high fences, good lanes and handling facilities, established by the previous owner. The hind mob includes artificial insemination (AI) progeny that the Greers use in an annual AI programme to breed sire stags.
Richard Greer based the potential payback of moving from store to weaner finishing on 2013-14 market prices. He didn’t include the added cost of winter feeding because the 900 weaners will effectively take the place of the 400 hinds offloaded earlier in the year.
Southland Advance Party facilitator Deane Carson says moving from store to finishing could earn 21cents/kg of drymatter.
“That’s a pretty good return and at that amount you can afford to do things such as apply DAP or Superten to grow a bit more drymatter.”
Read more: Work in progress
