How data boosts organic sheep productivity

• Helps improve flock management

• Easy to operate strict culling policy

• Integrated farm assurance scheme

State-of-the-art data management is helping an organic sheep producer run a more efficient flock.

A strict culling policy and close monitoring of lamb weights during the finishing period are the keys to success for Sam McPherson, who is in a shared ownership agreement at Sezincote Farms, part of the Sezincote Estate, in Gloucestershire.

Mr McPerson looks after the estate’s 1,000-ewe flock, comprising 600 pedigree Lleyns and 400 Lleyn x Texels, near Moreton-in-Marsh. Data technology has played an integral role in flock management since he joned the 2800ha farm five years ago.

Low input system

Sheep at Sezincote are run in an outdoor lambing system, which runs for about four weeks from 8 April. All lambs are finished on the farm and sold mainly to Dunbia at an average deadweight of 21-22kg.

In addition to the main flock, a group of 150 ewe hoggs is lambed each year and put to an Innovis Primera tup – a composite meat sire developed in New Zealand.

“We run a hard culling process to try and make it all as easy as possible,” says Mr McPherson. “Anything that goes lame or has any lambing problems will be culled; we can’t have any stragglers in the system.”

Mr McPherson runs his own Texel flock separate from his Sezincote commitments – and he was responsible for introducing the breed to the estate’s flock to produce lambs which finish faster.

“We finish all lambs on grass leys – including a mix of red clover and chicory – and a roots mix of vetch, oats, fodder rape, radish and turnips. Cross-bred lambs are generally gone by October, and pure lambs are finished in time for the next lambing.”

Data management

Mr McPherson uses iLivestock data management technology. A year’s subscription to the company’s livestock software was included in the purchase of Mr McPherson’s Alligator sheep race and handling system.

He says he was so impressed by the software that he continues to use the accompanying eWeigh weigh head as a paid customer today.

“The app has a flag system – very useful when deciding which ewes to keep and which to cull.”

Being able to record information on various selection criteria is an invaluable selection tool. This includes the ability to select for lameness, mastitis and lambing ease, explains Mr McPherson.

“The app is also really useful when I’m drawing lambs. The tag reader vibrates if you scan a lamb which has had medication and is currently in its withdrawal period – alerting you that it can’t go for slaughter yet.”

Being able to monitor lamb weights is also crucial for worm management in his organic system. “The software captures all the weights and plots daily liveweight gain, so we can usually see if something is wrong early,” adds Mr McPherson.

“Based on this, I can then do faecal egg counts (FECs) to see if there is a problem with worms affecting lamb weight gain.”

Another benefit of the management platform reported by Mr McPherson is the ability to draw up all the relevant data on a lamb – including any treatments it has received – for any farm assurance inspections.

This is a benefit he believes is particularly relevant to organic producers who must be able to show the organic status of their livestock.

Better genetics

Going forward, Mr McPherson plans to keep using data to streamline his breeding and finishing decisions. He wantse to increase the number of Lleyn x Texels, and reduce the number of pure Lleyns, because the cross-bred lambs finish much quicker.

“By improving the genetics to get them away quicker, I can look at buying organic store lambs and finishing them for additional income after my own lambs have gone.”

Mr McPherson says continued data collection will be instrumental in these ambitions.

Other farmers could benefit from doing the same, he adds. “Recording and managing data electronically is far easier than doing it with paperwork, and it can’t be lost as everything is stored in the cloud.”