No two farms are alike. Every problem and every solution is unique. But there are some universal things for sheep and beef farmers to get right before heading into winter: optimising animal body condition and ensuring sufficient feed supply. Getting good results in spring boils down to decisions made today, but what you did last year may not work as well this year. So, getting the right advice, tailored to your current operation and future goals, is the job of PGG Wrightson’s Technical Field Representatives.
“Yes, I am the person who comes to your farm to discuss your programme, to help you meet your goals, to give advice, but I am not alone. I am backed up by a crew of people who help support our farmers,” explains Kaleb Bolton, PGG Wrightson Technical Field Representative out of Rangiora, Canterbury.
With Technical Teams specialising in Animal Health and Agronomy, PGG Wrightson helps facilitate holistic solutions for famers.
Know their BCS
Knowing your stock’s Body Condition Score (BCS) is optimal before going into winter is essential. Animals below target BCS cost you more money in the long run, resulting in poorer lambing or calving outcomes, lower survival rates, and lighter lambs/calves weaned impacting profitability. Asses them early, so changes can be made to feed allocation. It takes time to increase BCS. Trying to fix it in late pregnancy, when ability to consume increased feed amounts is compromised by gut capacity or after lambing/calving generally has poor outcomes.
Scan now
Scanning ewes allows for informed decisions around feed requirements. Use scanning results to split mobs by feed demand. For instance, the feeding requirements of twin and triplet bearing ewes differs significantly to singles.
“Once your animals are scanned and mobs are allocated, we can work out the appropriate feed requirements and budgets for optimal results,” Kaleb says.
TECH TIPS
- Scanning allows appropriate allocation of feed.
- Scanning is an opportunity to consider targeted pre-lamb anthelmintic treatments, in conjunction with faecal egg count monitoring.
It comes down to planning
Winter feeding success comes from good planning.
“Having a clear idea of a farmer’s goals and operation allows us to build a feed budget and plan to meet those goals,” explains Kaleb.
“Of course, that budget depends on the season before. There is good pasture cover this year from the mild summer weather, so many of my customers are not having to purchase extra winter feed this year. However, this brings its own sets of challenges to work through, as high quantity may not be the best feed quality.”
TECH TIPS
Change for good
“If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you always got, or worse,” laughs Kaleb.
“The idea that your approach should be the same season after season is a recipe for run-of-the-mill results.”
Each season has a new set of individual factors that need to be considered before coming up with a plan.
“This is where your TFR and the Tech Team can really offer value to our farmers. We build long-term relationships with our customers, so giving you poor advice does not help them or me. So, our goal is to find the right product, or right solution, for the right situation – always.”
