46 | ‘Resilience, adaptability and foresight’ Don, George and Lochie Morrison…three generations working together. Russell Fredric The keys to surviving in today’s challenging farming environment are the same as those that have underpinned Rosedale Stud successfully breeding and selling sheep for the past 100 years, Don Morrison says. Located in Waikaka Valley near Gore, Rosedale farm was settled by the Morrison family in 1876. “Resilience, adaptability and foresight apply just as much today as they have throughout the decades on the farm,” Don says. He made the change 26 years ago to composite Growbulk sheep as Rosedale’s base commercial breed, representing a mix of Romney, Texel and Poll Dorset genetics. “I could see the challenge coming from reduced wool prices and the opportunity to focus on a maternal meat-breed sheep.” “The subsequent lifts in fertility and lamb survival both followed as a consequence of an increased focus on body condition score and visual muscularity and the natural consequence of that has been a huge lift in meat yield.” “Adapting to the challenge of changing market signals gave the resilience to our own commercial operation through more live lambs, grown to a heavier weight and the lift in meat yield paying a higher premium.” That challenge continues today and farmers must further adapt to meet the twin challenges of economic and climate variations, but with a forward focus on not only production genetics, but the market-focused traits around meat eating quality, Don says. He describes Growbulk as resilient sheep that can produce well through a challenging feed season and that rebound quickly to full production. Further progress has been achieved during the past 10 years using full gene technology. The Loinmax and Myomax muscling genes have helped stabilise high meat yields which support high ewe performance, but also focus on the important meat-eating qualities around intramuscular fat and pH. “Future markets will elevate both the demand and the premium for such product, so breeding decisions need to reflect that today. MEAT & WOOL » Rosedale “The other big step forward has been through fast-tracking the GDF9 twinning gene through our stud and commercial flocks. This has seen continued increases in both scanning performance and live lamb production by effectively lifting both through the incidence of twin-bearing ewes.” This makes bouncing back from tough climatic seasons much easier by reducing the number of triplet and single-bearing ewes without the feed cost of supporting extra triplet-bearing ewes. Rosedale continues to look to providing options to meet the specific requirement of all its farmer clients. “We are using Beltex genetics as a hogget mating option and Beltex/Suffolk rams as a really strong terminal option. The Beltex cross rams have genuinely lifted meat production to an even higher level, but the smaller carcase Growbulk / Beltex rams are great for hogget lambing.” Rosedale also has Growbulk / Wiltshire cross rams due to listening to clients who wish to pursue a shedding option along with a good offering of its Romney rams. Rosedale’s 7000 stock unit property is the ultimate testing ground for the sheep it breeds, and Don enjoys the opportunity to farm both with his father, George, and son Lochie. “Resilience, evolution and adaptability from previous generations have given me that opportunity, and with 150 years farming and now 100 years selling rams it has created a great legacy for future generations” For experienced professional legal assistance with • Buying and Selling of Farms • Farm Succession • Finance and Re-Finance Phone: 03 208 9385 Email: admin@abgraylaw.co.nz www.abgraylaw.co.nz PO Box 293 33B Main Street, Gore, 9710, NZ DX YB92511 A.B. Gray & Associates BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS Cody Waihape 027 849 7314 03 208 1315 platinumshearing@gmail.com “Where quality speaks for itself”
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