Is it worth lambing early anymore

[gone up the hill]

What's a labour profile?

Worker per number of stock.

 

[Hilly]

The light lamb job has all but gone these hill ewes are going to have to get a bit bigger

Trouble is hill ewes are born n bred on the place and only grow to the size the land they live on allows.

 

[Nithsdale]

I was talking to a couple of neighbours the other day and the discussion was whether it was worth keeping and lambing sheep at all. Both of them proper hill farms traditionally producing light lambs. IIRC light lambs were about £3.30/kg dw in Nov/Dec last year so 12kg lamb about £40 before deductions. Complete waste of time IMO and a total non starter without subs I'd say.

They'd be better sending them store for the same £, 3-4 months earlier

I was quoted on Monday dead weight is £4/kg. Sadly I'm still a few weeks off selling anything

 

[GTB]

The light lamb job has all but gone these hill ewes are going to have to get a bit bigger

I agree but I don't know if the bigger ewes could live on the hills without a fair bit of winter feeding. There's already only a fraction of the numbers of sheep that used to be kept on the hills.

 

[GTB]

Numbers game post subs.

I have been talking to a farmer in NZ, they run 1400 grazing cattle and lamb 3500 ewes ( 150% ) with just the manager/ retired owner and one farm worker and that includes at lambing time, sheep are left to get on with it and in her words, if they live they live if they die they die..

That is what UK farming will have to adopt post subs im afraid.

Thou they have FAR LESS paperwork/ red tape than we do which helps with workload massively.

Couldn't agree more but will we be allowed to 'ranch' here? I very much doubt it.

 

[Hilly]

I think the market for stores will be strong, lots of arable ground desperate for stock after years of being cropped.

 

[GTB]

They'd be better sending them store for the same £, 3-4 months earlier

They wouldn't be worth that much as stores. Plenty of lambs sold for £20/30 as stores i.e. 20kg straight off the hill at weaning

 

[gone up the hill]

Couldn't agree more but will we be allowed to 'ranch' here? I very much doubt it.

No and that will be the problem, we will end up with all the red tape/ costs and low market prices/ no subs to cover these costs that wont affect our direct competitors like NZ.

 

[gone up the hill]

I think the market for stores will be strong, lots of arable ground desperate for stock after years of being cropped.

Unless it rains a lot I cant see many arable farms looking to invest money in stores this year.

 

[M-J-G]

I think the market for stores will be strong, lots of arable ground desperate for stock after years of being cropped.

A lot of that land had no fences though.

 

[Nithsdale]

They wouldn't be worth that much as stores. Plenty of lambs sold for £20/30 as stores i.e. 20kg straight off the hill at weaning

They are usually £30-£40 here. Well, farther north.

 

[GTB]

They are usually £30-£40 here. Well, farther north.

Maybe but those tiny north wales hill lambs never grow into much. 12/14 kgdw max usually.

 

[sherg]

Maybe but those tiny north wales hill lambs never grow into much. 12/14 kgdw max usually.

Could those ewes not be crossed with something bigger like tregaron's or nelsons and still be hard enough?

 

[Hilly]

A lot of that land had no fences though.

Yes, electric ?

 

[Hilly]

Unless it rains a lot I cant see many arable farms looking to invest money in stores this year.

Not even mid may and very dry, by mid june it could be a quagmire.

 

[Hilly]

Couldn't agree more but will we be allowed to 'ranch' here? I very much doubt it.

I dont agree with calling large scale extensive farming ranching, there are some great ranches around the world well managed and producing super livestock. Only limit i see with being a large scale extensive livestock farmer in the uk is the price of land.

 

[Hilly]

Couldn't agree more but will we be allowed to 'ranch' here? I very much doubt it.

There are boys up here running 2-5k ewes single handed with seasonal labour, there stock is second to none and i think there death % will be less than some with only 100 ewes, stock lives well in low intense extensive environment.

 

[GTB]

Could those ewes not be crossed with something bigger like tregaron's or nelsons and still be hard enough?

This has been done wherever the land is good enough to accommodate the bigger ewes, either that or the native sheep have been gradually improved by selective breeding. Unfortunately there are some places where it's pretty grim and only the smallest and hardiest can survive.

 

[GTB]

There are boys up here running 2-5k ewes single handed with seasonal labour, there stock is second to none and i think there death % will be less than some with only 100 ewes, stock lives well in low intense extensive environment.

You must have much bigger farms up there. 2000 ewes is a big unit here, usually made up of several farms purchased over the years.

 

[yellowbelly]

well is it? Spring lambs hardly a flyer and a glut of Hoggs into may, is it worth the expensive of lambing at Christmas-January?

Always lambed some Jan/Feb here to get them away before end of May as our grass has no 'feeding power' by June (FFS, we won't have any grass by then this year if it doesn't rain soon). It's OK as long as they average high 80's to mid 90's and are gone at 100 days old.
The trouble this last 3/4/5 years has been a big carry over of hoggs right into May - it seems to get more each year and just delays slaughterhouses switching over and gives a much smaller window when you can get £100 for a springer.

What is it they say about insanity?......something about doing the same thing year after year and expecting a different result