Maximising
output and minimising inputs by creating a more efficient system has
proved to be the key to success for Perthshire farmer Calum McDiarmid
and his shepherd Ed Munt, who run 1,350 cross Aberfield breeding ewes
and 350 ewe lambs at Mains of Murthly near Aberfeldy.
A
decision to radically alter the farm’s sheep enterprise over the last
five years saw them become Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year at AgriScot
last November.
The
biggest change has been to introduce a rotational paddock grazing
system, with most fields now subdivided into seven to 10-acre paddocks
using solar electric fencing systems. This has had a dramatic impact on
the volume and quality of grass grown on the unit, which has a
difference in height from the bottom to the top of the farm of 700 feet.
In
January, all ewes move into small batches of about 200 on eight-acre
hill paddocks where they remain until two weeks before lambing, with ewe
lambs on lower pastures. Ewes receive high quality silage in ring
feeders, and are condition scored every four weeks, with any requiring
more condition taken out and receiving supplementary feed. The farm’s
silage is analysed every year, and has an average ME of about 11.2 and
protein of 12.5%, giving a D-value of about 70. “The Aberfield ewe is
brilliant at living on silage in the January-February period,” he says.
Quality grass and silage also drives colostrum quality and volume.
Lambing
starts in early April, with ewes out on the hill until late March.
Lambing is fast-paced on the unit, with the 100 small pens used for
lambing twin- and triplet-bearing ewes becoming a ‘very busy place’ –
but the key is to have a very well organised system, he says.
Thinking
about how the entire enterprise works and making it as livestock- and
people-friendly as possible is important. “There are fewer shepherds
around, so we have to create a business structure that people want to
work in, to have good working conditions and a good work-life balance.”
And
while the system as a whole is successful, one thing the farm would
like to achieve is a better scanning percentage. This has been as low as
160, and after reviewing the system, Calum and Ed believe it is down to
a slight dip in ewe feed intake during the ‘golden period’ after
tupping. This has led to a change in approach this year to ensure ewes
are on good grass for 30 days after tupping. The additional grass –
which is also useful at lambing – has come about as a consequence of
dropping 30 acres of rape and kale, previously used for finishing lambs.
As
a result, about half of the lamb crop were sold as stores this autumn,
achieving a price of about £90, and the other half sold fat, achieving
£115, but with an additional cost of £25/head to get them to that stage.
Traditionally, all lambs were sold deadweight at an average of 19kg,
grading at U3L or 3H; the aim this autumn is to finish half the lambs
again, but purely on better autumn grass which will have winter legumes
stitched in. The change in approach will mean the farm can give more
grass to the ewes around egg implantation, which should boost lambing
percentage, he says.
Focusing
on grass and introducing the rotational paddock system has led to an
improvement in flock health as sheep are moved to clean paddocks every
five to seven days, explains Calum. The farm has a policy that sheep can
never graze two fields at the same time, so never running through a
gate on the same track. This has had a huge impact on foot health.
With a belief that prevention is better than cure, ewes are blood tested
for mineral deficiencies every two years, tested for MDV and Johne’s
disease, and observed for OPA. “Thankfully none of these has been found,
but we always look.”
Condition
scoring and separating ewes has become more straightforward with the
purchase of an integrated Ritchie Combi Clamp and Tru-Test XR5000 weigh
head. This is situated in the indoor sheep fank, which has a concrete
floor. All sheep are recorded and measured every time they go through
the fank, and the floor is scraped clean every week as part of the
farm’s foot health programme.
As
well as investing in fencing and handling facilities, the farm now has
an Opico Sward Lifter, which Calum says is really helping to increase
grass growth. “With paddocks getting a rest between rotations and
allowing the grass to grow, the root growth is tremendous.”
The
newest piece of kit to arrive at Mains of Murthly is a plate meter,
allowing the team to regularly measure each paddock’s grass output and
chart it against lamb growth rates, creating a grass production chart
for the farm.
“What
can be done with good grass is surprising,” says Calum. “As farmers we
have to drive our businesses harder, like every other industry, and we
have managed to achieve much greater output with fewer inputs.”
A Judge’s View – Kate Rowell, QMS chair
“Although
all three finalist farms we visited were really superb, Mains of
Murthly stood out because of the fantastic team approach and the
opportunity Calum was giving Ed to drive the business forward.
“From
a QMS point of view, I was impressed with the simplicity of the system,
the way the business has adapted to meet current challenges and the
best use of available land with rotational grazing. Also the fact that
they’re happy to change what they do to find the best way forward and
are so open to new ideas.”