53 “I like to keep the system simple and practical. The breeds we have selected for the farm have enabled us to do just that.” The ewe flock consists of North Country mules which are purchased as ewe lambs direct from farms around the Hawes area. “We have adopted this approach to try and keep disease to a minimum. We buy from the same farms each year and work together with other buyers from around home to make up a load of around 3,000 sheep which gives us buying strength,” explains Jamie.
Mules and Charollais Keeping the system simple is key to success on this 2,000 ewe lowland unit in Rutland.
R
unning a tight ship at Redhill Farm in Rutland is Jamie Wild who has been the sheep manager for over 16 years for the owners Charles and Richard Tyler. The key to the success of this 2,000 ewe lambing unit is adapting the system to suit the farm situation, cooperation and working closely with suppliers and customers to achieve the best results. The farm runs to 360 hectares of grassland plus a further 1,000
hectares of arable land. The rolling lowland farm is about 100 meters above sea level growing wheat, rape and beans. The sheep are kept on the poorer land on the farm and some old parkland; all of which is farmed with no or very low inputs.
“I like to keep the system simple and practical. The breeds we have selected for the farm have enabled us to do just that.”
He is full of praise for the mules and says he cannot find a ewe breed to compete with them “they are so easy to work with and the scale we are operating on requires this. Also the number of lambs born is vital to the profitability of the enterprise and the mule supplies this.” Foot problems in the ewe flock used to be a concern, but with the direct purchasing off farm plus a rigorous culling policy of any ewe with severe infection, this has been reduced dramatically. “You don’t get a second chance to prove yourself on this farm and this regime certainly drives up the productivity of the flock.” On arrival from the North, the ewe lambs are kept in isolation
q
www.charollaissheep.com