Big production on big property

Mararoa Station can be dry, unforgiving country. Manager Tim Smith has adopted a risk managment policy that involves 10,000 lambs being transferred to neighbouring Lynmore Station for finishing each year. He and wife Trish have managed Mararoa Station, a 5540ha rolling hill country property in the Te Anau basin, for state-owned enterprise Landcorp for the past four years, and home to 19,000 landmark ewes, which he describes as an "improved romney" comprising three-quarters romney with a touch of east friesian and finn. While the ewes scan an average 180%, the real challenge is to get more live lambs on the ground, he told more than 100 farmers at a recent field-day on the property. "We have a great in-lamb rate, but we're pretty exposed here," he said. Mr Smith achieved 130% lambing this year as the late-summer drought took its toll on the lamb crop, but aims to consistently achieve at least 140%. He has plans to grow more shelterbelts and forestry plantations on Mararoa in an effort to reduce lamb deaths reports Stuff. About two-thirds of the ewes are mated to landmark rams, which are bought from Landcorp's Freestone Farm at Manapouri. The rest of the ewes are mated to the lamb supreme - a romney, poll dorset, texel composite - which has been bred by Landcorp for improved meat production. While about 10,000 lambs are finished on Mararoa Station, another 10,000 are transferred to Lynmore Station at 24 to 30kg liveweight and are finished at 16.5 to 17kg carcass weight. The 1500 in-lamb hoggets are lightly set stocked to lamb among the hinds in the deer unit, which helps maintain pasture quality. The hoggets are mated at 40kg liveweight and the late lambing ensures they reach a target weight of 60kg over the spring.