Summary
Wool / meat production system options for Merino breeding flocks include:
Animals surplus to the wool flock needs are "finished" as meat animals or sold as store animals for finishing. These are commonly (complete drops of) wethers and cull ewes; and
A proportion of ewes are mated to meat sires to produce crossbred lambs. These maternal dams are usually aged Merino ewes that are surplus to the requirements of sustaining the purebred Merino flock.
The options are sensible, the lack of selection for "fitness for purpose" is not. The Project examined an enhanced method of sorting animals for wool and meat production from Merinos where appropriate choice of animal for each sector was undertaken while maximising combined profitability for the producer and better consumer focused product.
