Medlicott Southdowns
Medium Framed with high muscle content for efficiency
RURAL NEWS // OCTOBER 21, 2014
52 SOUTHDOWN SPECIAL
Adapting to changing times FROM PAGE 51
We have leading farmer clients in Canterbury, Otago & Hawkes Bay
Phone Chris 03 6895814 | 027 6216696 | Email tasvic@farmside.co.nz
modern Southdown is longer, which equates to weight, and they produce high-yielding lambs. The other advantage is that they have a narrow shoulder, which means they don’t cause birthing problems when mated to hoggets. “Nowadays you get a big, wellframed sheep that’s got weight, is free moving. “There are no issues with overfats and we know the lambs are going to grade well. We are happy with our sheep and what we are getting and we
are not going to bother looking for any alternatives and intend to stick with the Southdown.” One of the changes James has made on Glenalvon is to plant lucerne. This is to drought-proof the farm and get the ewes milking and feeding the lambs. Only ewes and lambs mated to the Southdown ram are run on the lucerne and the main goal is to get their weight up faster. The Coopworth ewes and lambs are not run on the lucerne, but later, when these lambs are weaned, they
get a chance to reap the benefits of the lucerne. James likes to try other pasture species mixes, but says there is a problem with plantain, which is susceptible to grass grub and can be a problem in the area. The Butlers still target the Christmas and pre-Christmas market: 80% of the Southdown lambs are gone by the first week of December. For them, the Southdown is delivering well in line with their business plan and they do not intend to change.
Don and Jo Murray
‘RIVERSIDE’ R.D.3 Waitahuna Otago
Phone 03 4859 186 | joanddon@xtra.co.nz “Our focus is survival and early maturity on Hill Country”.
Holly Farm
Southdown Stud Est 1935
Flock No 1375
KEY POINTS
Rams Available
Bred under dry land conditions. IDEAL TERMINAL SIRES Enquiries to: Neville Moorhead Southbridge Ph: 03 324 2671
Holly Farm P77-07 Champion Southdown Ram and Premier Meat Breeds Ram Hogget at the Ellesmere Show 2008 Supreme Champion Southdown Ram and runner-up Meat Breeds Ram Hogget at the Canterbury Royal Show 2008 Champion Southdown Ram and Best Meat Breeds Pair (along with the Champion Southdown Ewe) at the Canterbury A&P Show 2009 – 2010
›› Mature body weight (ewe): 50-70kg
James Butler
A classic terminal sire THE SOUTHDOWN has been the foundation of ‘New Zealand lamb’ or ‘Canterbury lamb’ since the start of refrigeration in 1882. It has been the classic ‘terminal sire’ where all offspring mature early, grow fast and go for slaughter. The breed has changed often in
›› Wool: Fleece weight: 2-3kg Staple length: 75-1oom Fibre diameter: 27-32 microns
›› Fertility: 110-130% ‘type’ over the years when responding to changing oven-ready products and not joints. meat markets. From the origiApart from being a specialist meat nal imports from Britain, it was greatly reduced in size to meet the demand breed, Southdown have been imporfor small joints. Now the breed has tant in contributing their meat qualichanged back to larger sheep, again to ties to other breeds through crossing meet a market where consumers buy and interbreeding.
Northland Southdowns Flock 4516 Scott and Phillipa Innes 3856 Kaipara Coast Highway No 4 RD Warkworth 0984 PH 09 422 5162 | 027 497 0016 Email spinnes@xtra.co.nz
Flock 2703 John Wynyard 317 Woodcocks Road RD1 Warkworth 0981 09 425 8912 | 021 673 507 Email jtwynyard@maxnet.co.nz
RAMS AVAILABLE PRIVATELY OR AT FEILDING STUD FAIR Bred in the difficult Northland conditions these rams provide the opportunity for Prime Lamb finishing farmers to achieve the earliest mean kill date.