Mallee sheep producers are seeing strong results following a 3-year on-farm demonstration, More Northern Mallee Lambs, focussed on improving reproductive performance in mixed farming systems.
Co-funded with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), the Agriculture Victoria led project commenced in 2023, establishing 3 sites and involving producers across the Mallee from Carwarp to the Murray River to the South Australian border.
Agriculture Victoria Livestock Extension Officer Erica Schelfhorst said sheep are now a significant part of Mallee farming systems and participants in the program were eager to learn how to enhance their flock performance and animal health understanding.
'Entering the project, producers were seeing variable reproduction in their flocks with long joining periods, Autumn lambing and inconsistent pregnancy scanning,' said Ms Schelfhorst.
Producers involved in the demonstration such as Bec Gowers from Newhaven Farms at Carwarp, saw a significant benefit from moving lambing time to later in the season.
The Gowers moved lambing from April/May to occur in late July, which resulted in ewes having access to more pasture in the paddock, reducing reliance and the cost of supplementary feed and improving lambing outcomes.
Participating farmers were able to customise production goals and improve reproduction rates through the following methods:
- scanning for singles and multiples
- optimising the joining period to 5-6 weeks
- using teasers and the ram effect to enhance lambing percent
- making mob sizes smaller for twin‑bearing ewes
- enhancing nutrition management to match ewe status
- optimising lambing time to suit the growing season with access to high-quality feed such as lupin stubbles around weaning to boost lamb growth and facilitate earlier sale opportunities
- using stock containment areas and fencing to manage smaller lambing mobs and protect pastures during late breaks.
'Flexibility in decision-making is essential to respond to seasonal variability when integrating livestock with cropping operations,' Ms Schelfhorst said.
'Overall, the demonstration showed that later lambing, combined with improved reproductive and nutritional management, can significantly increase scanning and marking rates when conditions allow.
'It also showed that better alignment between feed supply and animal demand, leads to improved animal welfare, reduced costs and greater resilience in mixed farming systems.'
Ms Schelfhorst said a pleasing outcome from the project's extension activities is the notable gains in knowledge, skills and confidence of the participating producers.
Overall, the project demonstrated that despite fluctuating seasons, best‑practice management improves the reproductive outcomes of Northern Mallee flocks, particularly when conditions align feed supply with animal demand.
