Grassgro Report Proposal Questions

Question: Write a report on Grassgro. Answer: Introduction The analysis done by Meat Livestock Australia along with various other reputed institutions and associated data analysis done by the GrassGro information processing system was performed to determine the profitability of sheep meat and wool organisations, and how certain vital variables like date of lambing, date of shearing, stocking rates and various other production factors affect the health, output and mortality of the livestock. A number of significant observations were obtained through this detailed analysis performed across four locations in south-eastern Australia, Mortlake, Rutherglen, Naracoorte and Cowra. Fourteen sheep enterprises were monitored and the simulations of the analysis were run over a time period of thirty seven years. Wool production of Australia has declined over the years as a result of a significant drop in sheep numbers due to drought conditions, though lamb numbers have increased in recent times[1]. Wool is one of the most important export commodities of the country and as such concerns have been raised regarding this particular crisis. Main Body When is the right time to lamb? A: It was observed that good breed Merino ewes used in dual purpose enterprises were the most profitable strain. Replacement ewes were more profitable than ewes produced by local breeding. The improvement and refinement of the lambing and stocking rates can vastly increase the profit margins. Stocking rate increase can enhance the economic benefit of lamb time change. Appropriate guidelines for the perfect lambing time for each of the involved enterprises were laid down by evaluating the reports. Stocking rates had the biggest impact on an enterprises gross profit margin. Certain other factors were also investigated like the body frame size of a ewe, percentage of weaning, the weight of a lamb carcass and other variables relating to the timing of sale of a carcass. One of the most vital inductions obtained was the profitable impact of lambing in late winter or early spring. According to the patterns observed in the statistical data derived from the GrassGro analysis, it has been observed that for Merino ewes, the conceptions rates are extremely high for mating which were done in early half of a year, especially in the months from January to May. The percentage rates of successful conception were 110 percent for a mating date first January, 120 percent for first February, 130 percent for first March, 130 percent for first April and 120 percent for first May. This increase in the rate of successful conception show that for Merino breeds, the best time of lambing is during early spring during the months of August and September. Higher percentage of single lambs were produced if breeding is done during this time period, and there is about 80 to 70 percentage probability of a single offspring being born , and 20 to 30 percentage of twin lambs being born. The lambs were born during the months of August and September, when the breeding were done during the ear ly spring season[2]. For crossbred species, the successful conception rates were very high during the same months when the Merino breed mated. The sheep that mated during first November had a 105 percentage of successful conception, those that mated in first December had 120 percent success rate, for first January the rate was 135 percent, for first February the rate observed was 148 percent, for first march the arte shot up to 156 percent and it remained the same for the mating date of first April and went down to 145 percent for a mating date of first May. A particular fact was observed, that in case of crossbred species, the offspring produced had a higher probability of being twins, rather than born single. 40 to 45 percent chance of the lamb being born single and about 50 to 58 percent chance of the lamb being born twins. Thus, late winter and early spring in the months of July, August and September is the best breeding and lambing time for crossbred species[3]. When is the right shearing date? A: Data obtained from the long term gross profit margin tables show that for the primary or main flock ,a summer shearing date during the months of October December that flows a lambing date of November is the most profitable time to shear, as no detrimental health effects have been seen during this period. A timeline of November lambing and December shearing shows a net gross profit margin of 228 dollars per hectare October shearing with November lambing yields a profit of around 229 dollars per hectare. However, October shearing with December Lambing produced a larger gain of 235 dollars per hectare. Values for the younger stock show November lambing with December shearing to be the most profitable[4]. Now taking into account all the necessary expenses like new livestock purchasing feeds and medicines, replacements and animal husbandry costs, shearing and pasturing costs, it is seen that October or December Shearing with November or December lambing yields the most profitable gross margins. What is the effect of timing of lambing and date of shearing on mortality rate of lambs? A: Amongst all the different varieties, numbers of the Merino breed of sheep has declined the fastest. Currently, the number of ewes in the Merino population of the country is much more than rams. Recent trends have resulted in an increase in lamb production as it is now considered to be the main source of revenue for farmers and breeders[5]. Early pregnancy shearing of ewe has been shown to result in the birth of twin lambs of increased birth weight. This causes a reduction in the mortality rates of twin born lambs. With an increase in lamb birth weight, there was a noticeable decrease in the mortality rate by 3 percent[6]. Conclusion The concerned case studies and reports provide data and observable patterns regarding the effect stocking rates have on the profits and volatility of sheep breeding enterprises. The detailed analysis of all the financial data-bases have highlighted a strong linear relationship that is existent between the values of kg meat/ha or kg wool/ha with the gross margin or profit of an enterprise and sheep stocking rate , shearing and lambing timings have been identified as the primary driver of these factors. References "1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2003". 2016.Abs.Gov.Au. "Lambing At The Right Time - The First Step To Increasing Sheep Profits". 2016.Farmpoint.Tas.Gov.Au. "Sheep - Lamb Survival: Coping With Adverse Spring Weather - Clutha Vets". 2016.Cluthavets.Co.Nz. "Sheep 201: Weaning Lambs". 2016.Sheep101.Info. "Sheep Shearing Why And When". 2016. Ranching-With-Sheep.Com. MORRIS, KENYON, BURNHAM, and McCUTCHEON. 1999. "The Influence Of Pre-Lamb Shearing On Lamb Birthweight And Survival".Proceedings Of The New Zealand Grassland Association. [1] "1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2003". 2016. Abs.Gov.Au. [2] "Lambing At The Right Time - The First Step To Increasing Sheep Profits". 2016. Farmpoint.Tas.Gov.Au. [3] "Sheep 201: Weaning Lambs". 2016. Sheep101.Info. [4] "Sheep Shearing Why And When". 2016. Ranching-With-Sheep.Com. [5] MORRIS, KENYON, BURNHAM, and McCUTCHEON. 1999. "The Influence Of Pre-Lamb Shearing On Lamb Birthweight And Survival". Proceedings Of The New Zealand Grassland Association. [6] "Sheep - Lamb Survival: Coping With Adverse Spring Weather - Clutha Vets". 2016. Cluthavets.Co.Nz.