LIVESTOCK | ONFARM
Hamish Murray with ewes, winter 2020.
Wean earlier and heavier Better genetics, feeding and staff input are contributing to improved performance on Marlborough’s Bluff Station, as Joanna Grigg reports. Photos: FMG.
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amish and Jess Murray pushed on with pasture subdivision, fertiliser and improvements started by his parents, Chid and Sue. Now they are seeing results(see p19). Merino ewe body weight at Bluff Station has increased from a traditional 50kg, with the average now 56kg. Weaning is 20days earlier at 75 days following an October 5
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lambing. Despite less time with the ewe, lamb weaning weight has lifted from 23kg five years ago to a 27kg average. Hamish is excited to see how well stock are doing on the red clover both during and after lactation, and enjoys having more options to feed better. Genetics, feeding, and staff input are all playing a role. “We are moving into a phase of feeding
stock better by providing better quality feed and building pasture covers ahead of them.” Lambing at an 85% to 90% five-year average has the greatest potential for improvement. He is trying to do this by feeding the twinning ewes better before lambing. During the phase of rebuilding stock numbers after the 2014 drought, lambing percentage flat-lined.
Country-Wide
December 2020
