Replacing set stocking with rotational grazing, higher stocking rates and quicker more accurate finishing are how upland Scottish sheep farmer John Struthers is gearing up for post-EU success.
This "high productivity from marginal land" strategy won John an integrated sheep handling and weighing system from Alligator worth £8,500 in a nationwide competition that attracted nearly 200 entries.
Mark Lawrence, a director of competition organiser Allflex UK Group, said: “John impressed the judging panel with his passion and vision for a sustainable farming system designed to overcome some of the challenges of his largely marginal upland farm.”
Working towards one-man operation of the family farm's suckler herd and 300-ewe flock near Carluke, Scotland, John’s focus is to get finished lambs away as quickly as possible without creep feed, releasing space for more breeding ewes.
'Sustainable production system'
"Who knows what will happen to farming support payments once we've left the EU," says John.
"I am working on the basis we may have to manage without, so I want to be ready with a sustainable production system. The Alligator system will help monitor growth rates more accurately, pick out finished lambs as soon as they reach target, and thereby maximise returns. This sort of thing will be key for future success."
“The standard of finalists was hugely impressive,” says Mark Lawrence. “Making breeding and other flock management decisions based on capturing and analysing individual animal performance data was a key theme, as was their optimism for a future without subsidies.”
The judges were so impressed they decided to award additional prizes. These included another handling and weighing system to David Doody from Worcestershire to support his contract sheep husbandry and lamb grading business, and TruTest stick readers to more finalists showing exceptional merit.
The Allflex Group designs, makes and supplies animal identification technology to help livestock producers use animal identification as a valuable management tool. The company also makes and supplies Alligator sheep handling systems, and distributes Prattley sheep and cattle handling systems, TruTest electronic weighing equipment and Heiniger clippers and shearers in the UK.
