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The sheep farming business continues to take major steps forward with the introduction of cleanskin ‘easy care’, or fleeceless sheep. Easy care thrive on inexpensive feed as they are extremely hardy, have a superb lambing ration of 180% and produce excellent meat.
With high lamb prices and a shortage of shearers, a growing number of sheep farmers have opted to take on the easy care sheep, that lose all, or part of their wool naturally.
Organizer of the International Cleanskin Sheep Symposium, Lou Mawson, says “The demand for the dorpers (cleanskin breed) is far outstripping supply”.
With the introduction of South African breeds local production has risen to a new level. Composites and more than a dozen easy care breeds are now part of the Australian national flock.
Changing over has taken time and proved costly, but farmers like Jamie McTaggart, believe their investment is now paying off. McTaggart who runs a white dorper stud and a commercial dorper flock in pastoral country in South Australia.
Anne Hughes, another cleanskin convert, says she is 30% better off running wiltipolls, or polled wiltshires, than when she ran merinos.
A recent Meat and Livestock Australia survey indicated that up to 50% of producers are planning to focus more on producing lamb, using the cleanskin type breed of sheep.
However, cleanskin sheep provide less than 10% of the lamb processed in Australia, despite the increase in demand.
“Wool is the most beautiful natural fibre in the world, but some people can’t grow it well and they need another option to make money off their property,“ said Mawson.“We’
Sheep didn’t naturally have huge fleeces, centuries ago, merely a thick winter coat which they shed in the spring. Man then deliberately bred sheep for wool, because of its high value. In recent times the value of wool has dropped dramatically, until its production has become uneconomic.
About No Fleece Sheep In High Demand
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