Subscribe to The Weekly e-newsletter
News, views and advice delivered to your inbox every Friday. Covering producer case studies, industry news, market updates, on-farm tools and more, this e-newsletter is your one-stop shop for the latest in the red meat industry.
Shedding Sheep
Quantifying and improving reproductive performance of shedding sheep
This five-year investment will quantify shedding sheep reproductive performance, provide an understanding of the causes of reproductive wastage in shedding sheep breeds and determine potential management options to mitigate these causes of reproductive wastage across different agro-ecological zones (eg pastoral vs high rainfall) in SA, Queensland, NSW, WA and Victoria.
Background
Previous investments in sheep reproduction and benchmarking have been conducted on the more common Merino breed resulting in a lack of information on the optimal reproductive management of shedding sheep breeds.
Shedding sheep breeds are becoming increasingly popular in Australian systems, as a 3% rise in lamb production from non-merino breeds emerges. Shedding sheep are managed differently to more common wool breeds (e.g. Merinos) and present an opportunity to boost Australia’s prime lamb production. This is due to shedding sheep having no need for: shearing, mulesing or crutching, the potential for efficient feed conversion, less seasonal reproduction resulting in the ability for year-round lambing and an ability to rear lambs from an early age.
Project objectives
There is currently a knowledge gap in shedder reproductive performance so this five-year project will:
-
Quantify the current reproductive performance of commercial shedding sheep flocks across Australia.
-
Understand the causes of reproductive wastage in shedding sheep and the opportunities for improvement.
-
Support producers in maximising the reproductive performance of shedding sheep through demonstrating successful commercial scale management practices and identifying and developing resources to support industry service providers and producers.
Current progress
Twenty-three core and 32 self-reporting sites have been enrolled in the project (see map). The sites are split across six states and represent the most common shedding sheep breeds in Australia (White Dorper, Australian White, Dorper, UltraWhite, SheepMaster, Wiltipoll and Kojak). These flocks currently manage more than 162,000 breeding ewes.
Location of the core and self-reporting sites along with producers opting to receive project communications.
Key project contacts
Anne Collins has 28 years’ experience working with livestock industries in Australia. She has worked as an advisor with the SA Department of Agriculture, as the Service Delivery Manager for the Department of Agriculture in the SA rangelands and as a Livestock Consultant with Rural Solutions SA. For the last seven years Anne works as a self-employed independent private consultant with AC Ag Consulting. Her interests include sheep breeding and genetics, reproduction efficiency, technology adoption and data management. Anne recently completed a three-year MLA funded PDS project “Maximising Dorper Reproductive Performance” working with a group of producers on the far west coast of SA to find ways to increase the reproductive efficiency of their self-replacing Dorper flocks.
Associate Professor Will van Wettere completed his post-graduate training in reproductive physiology, and has spent the last 15 years conducting research focussed on developing novel and adoptable strategies to improve reproductive performance of livestock species. Will leads a group of researchers who are working towards understanding the interaction between climate and ovine reproduction, individual variation in thermoregulation and investigating strategies to alleviate heat stress, as well as improve fertility and neonatal survival in sheep. He is the project lead for the MLA’s project focussed on understanding and quantifying reproductive rate of shedding sheep breeds.
Associate Professor Will van Wettere completed his post-graduate training in reproductive physiology, and has spent the last 15 years conducting research focussed on developing novel and adoptable strategies to improve reproductive performance of livestock species. Will leads a group of researchers who are working towards understanding the interaction between climate and ovine reproduction, individual variation in thermoregulation and investigating strategies to alleviate heat stress, as well as improve fertility and neonatal survival in sheep. He is the project lead for the MLA’s project focussed on understanding and quantifying reproductive rate of shedding sheep breeds.Bobbie Lewis Baida is soon to complete her PhD which was investigating the impacts of heat and thermoregulation on the fertility of extensively grazed sheep. After completing her Honours in 2019, Bobbie has continued to be involved with a multitude of sheep research in the last four years, including maternal nutrition, heat abatement strategies and on-farm management & adoption. Bobbie is passionate about increasing sheep productivity through sustainable means and bringing efficiencies to farm data collection, analysis and decision-making with the use of novel, sensory technologies. Bobbie has been appointed as the post-doctoral researcher on the project and is looking forward to engaging with shedding producers nationwide to help understand more about the reproduction of shedding sheep breeds.
Bobbie Lewis Baida is soon to complete her PhD which was investigating the impacts of heat and thermoregulation on the fertility of extensively grazed sheep. After completing her Honours in 2019, Bobbie has continued to be involved with a multitude of sheep research in the last four years, including maternal nutrition, heat abatement strategies and on-farm management & adoption. Bobbie is passionate about increasing sheep productivity through sustainable means and bringing efficiencies to farm data collection, analysis and decision-making with the use of novel, sensory technologies. Bobbie has been appointed as the post-doctoral researcher on the project and is looking forward to engaging with shedding producers nationwide to help understand more about the reproduction of shedding sheep breeds. Bec Brayley lives in Charleville and is a Small Ruminant Extension Officer with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. She has worked on extensive cattle stations, in abattoirs and has a broad knowledge of animal health, disease, biosecurity and extensive livestock management. Bec has worked for QLD DAF since 2007 and has a keen interest in livestock research that has practical applications for industry.
Bec Brayley lives in Charleville and is a Small Ruminant Extension Officer with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. She has worked on extensive cattle stations, in abattoirs and has a broad knowledge of animal health, disease, biosecurity and extensive livestock management. Bec has worked for QLD DAF since 2007 and has a keen interest in livestock research that has practical applications for industry. 
Dr Tim Gole completed his Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences (Honours) as well as his membership in the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (Sheep Medicine) in 2019. Following this he also obtained a Graduate Certificate in Agribusiness in 2021. Tim’s second proudest achievement was being the co-founder of The Western Rivers Veterinary Group Central West NSW and the North Australian Veterinary Group in NW QLD. His proudest achievement, however, was creating a viable sheep Consultancy and production services called For Flocks Sake Pty Ltd. Its purpose is to help producers grow their best sheep and make every ewe a winner!
Dr Michylla Seal has over two decades of experience and expertise in the field of artificial reproduction and veterinary services, specifically tailored for small ruminants. Her career has taken her across Australia and to various international locations including the Middle East, South Africa, New Zealand, Falkland Islands, Mexico, USA, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, China, India, and Scandinavia. She has a proven track record of delivering extensive artificial reproduction services and providing expert advice on health, management, nutrition, and genetic consultation to sheep producers. At the core of her work is a deep-seated passion for artificial breeding and a commitment to enhancing market access.
Geoff Duddy was Born and bred in central west NSW, and spent 27 years with NSW DPI in both Sheep and Wool research and extension roles before establishing his own private sheep consultancy (Sheep Solutions) in 2013. Recognised nationally as a lamb feed-lotting specialist Geoff co-developed the Sheep CRC Lamb Feedlot Calculator, delivers a wide series of workshops and programs covering all facets of sheep reproduction, production, nutrition, finishing and management as well as providing specialised, one-on-one advice to sheep, wool and prime lamb producers nationally.
