Leading sheep producers have been recognised with membership to the prestigious 100%+ Club for growing business productivity and their contribution to rebuilding Western Australia’s flock.
The 100%+ Club is an initiative of More Sheep, a partnership of the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Sheep Industry Leadership Council (SILC) to address the decline in the State’s flock.
Department Livestock Industries executive director Kevin Chennell said 39 businesses, from widespread areas of the Wheatbelt were celebrated for their success in achieving average marking percentages above 100 per cent in 2012.
“One of the most influential ways of gaining productivity in the sheep industry is to work on lambing percentages and lamb survival,” Dr Chennell said.
“The 100%+ Club is a great initiative that focuses on successes in that area. Many of the inaugural 100%+ Club members achieved more than 120 per cent lambing in their wool and lamb enterprises,” he said.
SILC chairman Rob Egerton-Warburton said it was important producers concentrate on production as a way of increasing farm profits. The best way to do this was through increased lamb production, increased lamb survival and better management of ewes.
“This is what the 100%+ Club is all about, celebrating leaders in ewe management,” Mr Egerton-Warburton said.
To be eligible for 100%+ Club membership, producers must have a minimum flock of 500 ewes and demonstrate 100 per cent lamb marking across the entire breeding ewe flock for the season.
A celebration dinner was held on Thursday 7 March in Narrogin for members of the 100%+ Club. It was attended by founding Club members and representatives from the department, SILC, banks, stock agencies, consultants and a fertiliser company.
Dr Chennell said the event provided valuable networking and featured guest speaker Jason Trompf, a wool and lamb producer from Victoria and co-author of the Lifetime Ewe Management System.
“The department looks forward to supporting and working with 100%+ Club members to help share their knowledge and expertise with other producers to secure the future of our sheep industry,” Dr Chennell said.
Later this year there will be a call for nominations from 2013 for the 100%+ Club.
More information about the 100%+ Club is available on the More Sheep website.
Media contact: Jodie Thomson, media liaison +61 (0)8 9368 3937