| 11 RURAL PEOPLE » Waipuna Farms Striking results from high-performing sheep Waipuna Farm in the Mangamahu Valley near Whanganui. We are consistently scanning more than 180 per cent, not including triplets, in our commercial ewes, and lambing over 150 per cent,” says Mark Polson. Rosa Watson A fifth-generation farming family based in the Manawatu is breeding high performance Highlander sheep that are achieving eyecatching production results. Waipuna Farms, owned by the Polson family, has been breeding rams for over 40 years from the home farm Waipuna in the Mangamahu Valley, about 30 minutes from Whanganui. The 2000-hectare property has a mix of very steep hill country and river flats, and has 190 hectares under irrigation for finishing lambs. It also owns two other farms nearby – 600-hectare Te Tui, and 700-hectare Awarua that is owned in a 50:50 partnership. The properties run 13,000 ewes and 550 breeding cows. All lambs are finished, and 3,000 ewe hoggets are mated each year. Mark Polson said the family’s association with Mangamahu goes back to 1873, when his greatgreat-grandfather purchased land there. “We are proud to have kept it in the family for so long.” Mark’s parents, Donald and Liz, are very much involved in the farm but are looking to take a step back. “The key to our success is the amazing team of people who make it all happen.” Donald started Romney breeding with his late brother, Alistair, when they joined the Romney Improvement Group in 1978. And that has carried through the next generation. Mark said they looked for a number of traits to put into a breeding index, including ewe efficiency - lamb weaning weight and mature ewe weight - disease resistance, in particular facial eczema, worm resistance, clear face, bellies and bum that allowed for easy crutching and dagging, skin thickness, which relates to lamb survivability at birth, eye muscle area and low methane production. “Two of the most important factors for sheep farm profitably are lambing percentage and weaning weight. From this base we can focus on other important things like facial eczema tolerance, milking ability, and parasite tolerance,” Mark said. “We are also looking to breed for what consumers of lamb want, therefore we scan for eye muscle area and test for low methane sheep.” And they’re seeing excellent results, he said. “We are consistently scanning more than 180 per cent, not including triplets, in our commercial ewes, and lambing over 150 per cent. “Our DNA Highlander flock scan over 210 per cent, and can lamb as well as 170 per cent.” In recent years they have partnered with Norm Alderson and Dr Dani van der Linden, who own a farm near Feilding and are responsible for growing Waipuna rams for sale, as well as do all the measuring and testing required. Dani is a geneticist and controls the genetic direction of the flock. “Norm and Dani bring a huge amount of passion to the Highlander and Primera, our terminal sire breeding programme,” Mark said. The annual two-tooth ram sale will take place in November, and there was already good interest from both long standing and new clients. “We have been breeding rams for a long time and farmers know the value of buying the best genetics they can.” Recently, Waipuna was a national finalist for the Silver Fern Farms Plate to Pasture Awards. “This was recognition of the excellent breed we have and the awesome team that make it all happen.” Sheep and beef farming was in a challenging time where returns were down and farmers were generally “a bit pessimistic”. “As ram breeders, we could see this as a threat, or we could use it as an opportunity. “Our job is to work with our clients to understand what they require form us and give them confidence that investing in our genetics is the best thing they can do for their farming operation.” >> E/ < &KZ >> zKhZ , >/ ' Z Yh/Z D Ed^ ^,ϰ tŚĂŶŐĂŶƵŝ͕ ƐĞƌǀŝĐŝŶŐ ůŽǁĞƌ EŽƌƚŚ /ƐůĂŶĚ ϬϮϭ ϴϮϴ ϰϮϰ ^ƉƌĂLJŝŶŐ &Ğƌƚ ƵůůŝŶŐ ^ĞĞĚŝŶŐ ƵƌŶ ŽĨĨƐ >ŝĨƚŝŶŐ For all livestock, wool, fertiliser, metal, grain bulk cartage. Proud to be associated with Waipuna Farms Contact Brendon & Pete 06 345 8661 / 027 276 4127 grange.trans@xtra.co.nz SH3, Westmere, Wanganui
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