Photo captions. 1– Mick and Max Lisle in the yards at “Malford” with their all-Merino flock. 2– Mick with his flock during the inaugural Elders Walcha Merino Flock Ewe Competition in April 2021 when their Nerstane, Yalgoo and GullenGamble-blood ewes won the competition as well as the People’s Choice Award from nine entrants. said he is also able to identify the top performing ewes, which are ear-marked for the artificial insemination (AI) program used in their ram breeding group. Mick buys semen from industry leading sires each year for the program, selecting potential sires based on figures and visuals with a focus on fleece cut and early growth. “We’ve been doing this for about 20 years,” he said. “We usually AI 125 ewes per year and aim to keep 15 to 20 rams (from each drop).” From each drop of ewe lambs, 150 of the top indexing lambs are considered for the program. “We visually class that back to about 50, which go into the ram breeding group.” The Lisle’s are also focused on increasing fertility in the “Malford” flock. Ewes are joined in April for five weeks and scanned in late June, when they are split into groups of singles and multiples. “We try to feed them accordingly and look after them a bit better.” The ewes are shorn in August and split up into groups of up to 100 for twinbearing ewes and 300 for single-bearing ewes, prior to lambing in September. Lamb marking is carried out in October, with the flock averaging 110% across the past five years. The wether portion of the lambs are shorn in the same month, ready to sell to the processors at two to three weeks off shears. Mick said the wethers are weighed and allocated to suitable markets, however they generally aimed for a carcase weight of 24kg or above. “That’s where we tend to earn the most money.” The 2024-drop of wethers returned an average of over $240 per head for both meat and wool. 2– – 31 – AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL RURAL STORE *Boehringer Ingelheim data on file. See product label for full claim details and directions for use. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Australia Pty. Ltd., Level 1, 78 Waterloo Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113 Australia. ABN 53 071 187 285. ®MARKS-MIN is a registered trademark of the Boehringer Ingelheim Group. ©2024 All rights reserved. AU-MSP-0129-2024 REMARKABLE RESULTS ENERGY TO GO THE EXTRA MILE PROVEN* trace mineral injection for sheep to support optimal health, production and fertility, with the added benefit of Vitamin B12 in one convenient injection FERTILITY ENERGY GROWTH IMMUNITY
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