News & Advice

The number of newborn lambs that survive to weaning is the single biggest driver of profitability on most sheep farms in NZ (fine wool farms being the obvious exception). Yet, so often, we leave the outcome to chance, and we fail to protect our investment by neglecting to use the very good available sheep performance […]

Managing Beef Cows Before and After Mating Getting cows in calf early and in good numbers is one of the strongest drivers of profitability in a beef herd. Two key performance goals are high pregnancy rates and a tight calving spread, both of which depend on how cows are managed in the weeks before and […]

Pain relief in sheep has been front of mind this year, with a focus on treating both shearing cuts and lambs at tailing. Reducing pain is great for welfare, but it also makes economic sense when it allows animals to return to normal behaviour in less time. Each season we are getting more information about […]

Bionic Plus CRCs are back after being unavailable for the last couple of lambings. For some sheep farmers, this absence removed an important tool from the toolbox for managing the effects of parasitism. Many of these farmers filled the void with persistent anthelmintic injections, e.g. Exodus LA, but a productive and sustainable sheep-breeding and lamb-growing […]

While much attention is given to the health and fertility of cows, the breeding bull is equally crucial in minimising the empty rate in the dairy herd. Thinking of the seasons where you have had unexplained poor heifer in-calf rates or a high empty rate following a good 6-week in-calf rate, it is more than […]

Think Johne’s disease, think cattle? Think again! Johne’s disease is a bacterial infection resulting in untreatable wasting and death of adult animals. It is a challenging disease to control due to its very long incubation period, poor test accuracy and long environmental survival. This has implications for disease management and means our only realistic target […]

Bionic Plus® sheep capsules will again be available for the 2025 season. Bionic capsules were removed from the market, along with all other controlled release capsules, as part of a requirement by the regulatory body, the ACVM, following some variabilities being detected in some products. Bionic Plus has since undergone rigorous testing to show its […]

Weaning can be a stressful time for young cattle. It is important that we minimise the stress of transition, focus on keeping daily growth rates on track, and ensure animal health is a priority. Weaning is also a convenient time to administer preventative animal health treatments going into winter. We are talking about worms, trace elements, and […]

In ruminants, cobalt is needed for rumen microbes to make vitamin B12, which is required for the formation of glucose and amino acids. Cobalt or B12 deficiency impacts energy and protein metabolism, causing a starvation of sorts. Clinical signs of deficiency include anorexia, poor growth rates and ill-thrift. These signs could easily go unnoticed or […]

The farming calendar never stops, but certain times of year are a good opportunity to measure and reset. Lamb weaning is one of these events. For a ewe, the breeding season starts again when her lambs are removed. A Body Condition Score (BCS) of less than three means she may struggle to mate well and […]

As mating is nearly upon us, making sure your bulls are in peak condition is vitally important for successful mating outcomes. Body condition and bull power Coming into mating, bulls should be fit, but not fat – around a BCS 6-7. Bull power should be adequate to ensure all cows are able to be serviced. […]

As Autumn is in full swing and we head towards winter, the opportunity to put weight on ewes with pasture alone is declining – if it was there at all recently. Off the back of drought conditions and a subsequent lack of feed, there are some lighter ewes around the countryside, but, if managed correctly, […]