A world-first for the recently imported Beltex sheep breed has delivered a crop of Beltex-Merino lambs that have the breeders just a little bit excited.
The beginning of the exciting venture for the sheep industry was born in 2017 when the first imported Beltex embryos were transferred to ewes on Perendale stud breeder Blair Gallagher’s Rangiatea farm in the Mid Canterbury foothills.
Beltex NZ was established by Gallagher, sheep genetics scientist and former Invermay head Jock Allison and Canterbury farm adviser John Tavendale.
The Belgian Texels, Beltex as they are known, have a great deal to offer carcase quality in the export industry, Tavendale said.
The muscling in the sheep is impressive and the high-yielding lamb carcase has the Beltex continuing to grow in popularity as a terminal sire in Britain.
Livestock markets report higher prices for Beltex rams because of the fierce demand from buyers and top-end lambs are achieving up to a 20% premium over other finished lambs.
Having proved their worth in the meat respect over their three years in NZ, research is now under way to see if the Beltex can make an impact on the NZ Merino and its associated wool industry.
“The big emphasis so far has been on the terminal sire. This cross with the Merino is a world first for Beltex and because it’s a first the wool is yet unknown,” Tavendale said.
“We have the opportunity for the research to be done now and see what opportunity there is in the wool.
“I do think there will be potential to some degree. Just what degree we’ve yet to determine and we’ll start the trials over the winter and see.”
The trial lambs, the first Beltex-Merino progeny, were bred by Glenn and Sarah Fastier on Simon’s Hill farm in South Canterbury.
A random pick of 100 lambs from the weaning earlier this month has been sent to Tavendale’s Mid Canterbury property for their first shearing with research under way to test their ability for winter lamb contracts and wool marketability.
“It’s pretty exciting really. This is a world-first and there’s looking to be potential in more ways than one with the Merino,” Tavendale said.
The first Beltex-Merino lamb draft from Simon’s Hill processed out at 18.27kg, yielding 55.86% carcase weight to yield, at least 3% more than expected above Merino crossbred and substantially ahead of the Merino.
“It’s been an outstanding result. The Beltex has a role to play from this little trial.
“If high country farmers want a terminal sire that will draft lambs quickly then it appears the Beltex has got quite a lot to offer.
“The muscling out of the Beltex has added a lot to the Merino carcase. Now we’ll have to see what it can do for the wool,” Tavendale said.
Glenn and Sarah Fastier at Simon’s Hill farm 3000ha running 7000 Merino ewes, wintering 5000 Merino hoggets while also running 250 Hereford-Angus cows to the bull.
“So we are more intensive, effectively wintering 14,000 stock units.”
In the heart of the Mackenzie Basin the temperature extremes can peak over 40C in summer and drop to minus 20C in winter with rainfall low at 500mm average and northwest winds constant.
“But the stock thrive and with the introduction of irrigation and development of the lowland hill country we have achieved our focus on making it a farm as it was never big enough to be a run,” Glenn said.
With the dryland development and 300ha now under pivot irrigation and subdivision of the lower hills into lucerne-mix paddocks ewe numbers have grown and the property increased from two to seven stock units to the hectare.
“It has given quite a lift and been a huge benefit in rotational grazing, mob sizing and lamb survival and will hopefully allow us to get away from selling store stock.”
While the Merino ewes and SuffTex-Dorper ram have been a successful cross, the opportunity to grow lambs out more quickly had Fastier keen to try the Beltex over the Merino.
“I think it could catch on and bring a good alternative to the Merino industry,” Fastier said.
“Admittedly, they were older ewes they went to but unscientifically the lamb survival was particularly good and certainly there were no lambing issues.”
Fastier said Merino lambs, being quite slow to mature, are a longer-term prospect and with the on-farm ability now he’s keen to look at growing lambs more quickly.
“To give us flexibility we want something that matures as quickly as possible to offset other parts of our business.
“As a wool-growing machine the Merino is lesser in fat and muscle where the Beltex is the other end of the scale – all fat and muscle – so we’re looking at what the Beltex can offer us,” Fastier said.
“It was a small trial to start with ewes taken at random and it’s been pretty impressive meat to bone.”
With wool prospects down the track the Simon’s Hill Merinos will be well-suited.
“I only ever thought of the Beltex as a terminal but our Merinos are super fine so there’ll be no question about the wool being fine enough to make good money.
“We only did this out of interest but it has proved itself to be as good if not better than we do now so we are open to future opportunities.
“If there’s a terminal sire for the Merino industry then a high-yielding Beltex sire will have much to offer Merino breeders.”
And the wool prospect.
“The potential is there and in time the research will tell us how good or not that might be.” Fastier said.
Plenty of rams will be on sale
Beltex NZ’s third annual auction on March 6 will offer for the first time Beltex and Beltex-cross ram lambs and Beltex-Cheviot rising two-tooth rams.
The auction has 170 rams including purebreds and Suffolk, Texel, Perendale, Cheviot and Poll Dorset crosses.
The sale will be held at the Gallagher property Rangiatea, Mount Somers, with viewing from 11am and the auction starting at 1.30pm.
