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Wiltipolls sell to $52.20 - May 1998

Ray Smith, Wesfarmers Dalgety Auctioneer, checks a draft of Witshire-Merino first cross lambs sold for Kars Pastoral Co, Broken Hill.

These lambs sold to a top price of $52.20 without assistance of drench, fly treatment or supplement feeding.

The prime lamb industry is an industry on the move now that the focus

of producers has changed from raising lambs to producing a high quality food.

This change has created great interest a producer level as improvements are viewed first hand.

The knockers of lamb meat have had a bit to say and producers have taken up the challenge to silence them.

Changes in genetics and a wider selection of breeds is opening possibilities to produce the lambs required by the trade.

The emphasis continually points to larger and leaner lambs to service a strong export market and rebuild a domestic trade.

Along with any changes producer profitability is vital for the long term good of the industry. Without producer profits the industry will surely die.

Producer profits depend very much on production costs - the amount of care their lambs require.

Until recent years little was heard of the Wiltshire Horn.

Now Wiltshire cross prime lambs are popping up all over the countryside. At the recent Elders South Australian prime lamb carcass competition, a Wiltshire cross entry by Peter Rundle and Geoff Adamson scored the highest points in the 23 kilogram plus class.

Other entries were also prominent in the scoring. We also saw many drafts at sale-yards and on-farm sales.

The horn are not the most popular feature of the Wiltshire breed so the horns had to go. This was achieved by the infusion of Merino , Poll Dorset and Leicester breeds with the Wiltshire Horn to have a hornless Wiltipoll.

This breed has been developed so that produces in marginal areas and the pastoral country can be involved in meat lamb production.

Anne Hughes, Kars Pastoral Company, Broken Hill, has successfully produced meat lambs in recent years and in recent weeks has sold Wiltshire Merino first cross lambs at Gepps Cross to $52.20.

The recent consignment of second cross lambs sold to Tatiara Meat Co on-hooks included 326 weighing an average weight of 23.8kg, of these 92 were score 3, 204 were sore 4 and 30 score 5.

All these lambs were pastured on natural paddock conditions and proved their suitability to these conditions.

Being fly and lice resistant means that there is no need for chemical treatment.

As there is no need for shearing, crutching, muelsing, dipping or jetting there is no need for a shearing shed an associated facilities.

Being raised on pastoral land makes then completely chemical free.

There is no doubt about the popularity of the new breed as the Kars Pastoral Company is unable to keep up with present demand for Wiltipoll rams.

HISTORICAL LANDMARKS

Wiltshire sheep were reputedly taken to Britain by the Romans and it is from these sheep that the modern sheep have evolved.

1952: Wiltshire Horn sheep were introduced to western Australia. During the 'Wool Boom' breeders lost interest.

1969-70: The late Leo Harwood brought two rams and 15 ewes and took them to his property in Lillydale, Victoria, recognising their potential.

1972: G & M Toll established a flack at Gunbower, Victoria. This is still flourishing.

1978: N & P Bonnin, D & D Craven and r Burston bought purebred rams and first cross ewes and transported them to the Hindmarsh Valley "to develop a flock of low care sheep with fast growing early maturing fat lambs."

1995: Rams and ewes bought by A & J Hughes for Kars Station, from the above breeders.

By Glen Keil