| 41 Newhaven ram clients reap the rewards Newhaven stud ewes in winter on the Newhaven hill block. The Smith family (George 12, Henry 15, Charlotte 17, Jane and Blair) are all hard working and passionate and genetics. Never did the Newhaven Perendales’ team think for a moment 30 years ago that David Ruddenklau’s decision to breed a sheep that required very little anthelmintic drenching (and eventually no drench) would be a game-changer for the New Zealand sheep sector. The 1990s were a hard time in the farming sector, let alone in North Otago - an area that spent most of the decade in debilitating drought. This however marked the start of the renowned ‘Newhaven Nil-Drench regime’. Fast-forward to today where Blair and Jane Smith (nee Ruddenklau) are at the helm of Newhaven, one of the largest nil-drench Perendale, Romdale and Perendale-Texel stud operations in the country. “Newhaven ram clients are reaping the genetic rewards of the pioneering attitude of David three decades ago, to build the most resilient animal possible, while still ensuring multi-trait genetic progress,” says Jane. The original Newhaven goal to decrease the amount and frequency of drenching wasn’t from a cost saving point of view, but from a ‘robustness’ ethos - frustrated at the industry mindset of blanket drenching every few weeks or months. In the early 1990s David ceased all drenching of ewes and then worked with AgResearch to find a link in Newhaven lambs and hoggets between genetic resilience to fight and still grow under a high worm burden. While Faecal Egg Counting (FEC) was a massive step forward for the industry, he wasn’t particularly interested in the peaks and troughs of worm burden, but how each animal responded to the burden of high worm counts. “The ‘feast to famine and then back to feast’ in North Otago meant worm burdens go from very little to overwhelmingly high within a matter of weeks, a real test to every animal,” says Jane. “Finding bloodlines that had the innate ability to get on and earn their keep in terms of growth rates while some of their peers needed to be culled-out under a nil-drench regime was the key.” In 1990 Worm Antibody testing commenced in all hoggets at Newhaven, analysing antibody levels at work to fight both the clinical and sub-clinical effects of the challenge, lined up against seasonal conditions, weight and growth rates. “Interestingly, the 1990 test kit book pre-warned of ‘looming drench resistance throughout New Zealand from reliance on high drench regimes’.” Rome wasn’t built in a day and nor was the MEAT & WOOL » Newhaven identification of those bloodlines that had an inbuilt resilience towards worm burdens. In 1996, a third of all ram lambs were un-drenched from birth to sale as a trial. The demand for these ‘Nil Drench’ rams conservatively increased over the first few years - initially from organic farmers, but after observing that the nil-drench rams looked just as impressive as the rest of their peers, the demand Proudly supporting Newhaven Farms 3 Usk St, Oamaru 9400 | www.nops.co.nz | 03 434 7766 We don’t Breed Bureaucrats. Supplying rams Nationwide Nil Drench Flock for 30 years Web: www.newhavenperendales.co.nz @newhavengenetics @farmsnewhaven At Newhaven we believe in accountability. Any animal that can’t perform under a nil-drenched regime - no matter what the season throws at them, can pack their bags and move to Wellington. No excuses. Our genetics work hard and actually earn their keep - and are proven through 50 years of selection for low-input traits. Newhaven Perendales Newhaven Romdales Newhaven Perendale Texels for the Nil Drench boys skyrocketed and demand outgrew supply. By 2009 all ram lambs born would remain totally un-drenched from birth to sale, two decades after the original Newhaven testing was carried out, and remains a pioneering industry initiative today.
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