14 | RURAL PEOPLE » Wairere Wairere goes nude with no-shear sheep Karen Phelps Wairere Romneys has a new product it is about to release that stud owner Derek Daniell reckons could help Kiwi farmers to reduce losses from wool. Wairere Nudies are the stud’s rst sheep with no wool. Purebred and rst cross Nudie ram lambs will be available for purchase in late February/March 2023. The idea came about when a JV partner, that enables Wairere to sell into the UK and European market, noticed the rise in interest in sheep with no wool. “He said we need to get into these so he found the ocks with the most potential for the New Zealand market,” says Derek. In April Wairere transferred 458 bare sheep embryos from the UK into recipient ewes and inseminated 637 Wairere ewes with bare sheep semen. These ewes were a mix of FE resilient, Tufguy (interbred Texel/Romney) and bare point Romneys. While currently only a small number of New Zealand farmers are breeding towards sheep without wool, Derek predicts that number will increase if wool prices stay at the current low level for another three years. “As each year goes by with low wool prices and increasing shearing costs more farmers are becoming disenchanted with wool. There are some good product developments happening but not fast enough. It’s a race against time to get value back into wool. We need a minimum short term price of $5 per kilogram and a medium term price of $10 per kilogram.” He says that Wiltshires rst arrived in New Zealand in the 1970s, four ewes and one ram from Australia, and most shedding sheep in this country are derived from that original importation, plus another ram imported from Australia in 1988. The Wairere importation will provide a major refresh of no-shear sheep in New Zealand. Derek says that while the jury is out as to exactly how Wairere Nudies will perform in New Zealand the rst cross progeny will bene t from hybrid vigour. “At Massey University’s Riverside Farm eld day in May 2021 a long term Wiltshire breeder commented that his Wiltshire composite was a better bet productivity-wise than the pure Wiltshire. A composite with bare points and tail will minimise dagging, and reduce shearing to once per year. Less wool but less than half the costs. What we also know is that the UK genetics, from which Wairere Nudies originated, have performed well in the UK for prime lamb production, reared under similar management and environmental conditions as New Zealand.” Wairere Romneys had its beginnings in Derek’s grandfather Len Daniell’s registered Akoura Romney stud, started in 1929. Derek’s father John selected the best Wairere ve-year ewes in 1967 and mated them to several top Akoura rams. A Wairere hill country ock was born and fully performance recorded from that year. Derek took over the stud in 1984 carrying on the family tradition. Wairere Romneys get well tested. The farm is 1070ha effective/1206ha total, of medium to steep Wairarapa hill country, rising to 532 meters above sea level. The climate is typically winter wet, summer dry, with average year round wind speed of 35kmph on the high ridges. Rainfall is 1125mm average, but the six months from November to April average around 400mm. Only 2% is at land. The farm runs around 9,400 sheep in total comprising 5,300 ewes, 1,700 ram hoggets, 2,250 ewe hoggets (with 2-300 dry hoggets sold in late July) and 150 rams and killers. Cattle policy is 360 cows, and 60 trade cattle. selling most weaners. Overall stocking rate averages 11su/ha, but will go up or down, depending on the season. The business also extends to a 900ha effective sheep farm in Victoria, Australia and a small joint venture ock in Chile. Wairere Romneys was in a 50% joint venture with Wairere UK from 2007 to 2021, selling rams into the UK and Europe. In New Zealand Wairere rams are sold by private treaty each year in November. But Wairere Nudie purebreds and rst cross will be sold by on-farm auction in late February or early March. Video of the ewes and lambs at weaning, and of the ram lambs in February will be available on the Wairere website. “As each year goes by with low wool prices and increasing shearing costs more farmers are becoming disenchanted with wool.” Proud to be Providing Shearing Services to Wairere Ltd. Juan (from Tararua Breeding Services) and Ian McDougall inseminating a ewe. Hair sheep in the UK (below). Farm Materials • Building Materials • Electrics Stock Feed • Water Tanks • Culverts • Hardware Proud to support Wairere Ltd We now stock Rural Direct products ~ more than just fencing ~ Phone Ross 06 374 8193 or email ross@turtons.co.nz
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