![<?echo empty($gallery_image['content']['title']) ? 'Wammco News article image' : $gallery_image['content']['title']; ?>](image/ef1cba9dddbb1c291acd95c2549b3d91_600_480_cropped.jpg)
Bremer Bay Producer is WAMMCO August POM
Warnings from WAMMCO over the increase in Ovis cysts in lambs have been echoed by the Cooperative’s Producer of the Month for August, Bremer Bay producer John Iffla.
John said Ovis in store lambs he had imported had reduced his net returns by about 10 percent in recent lamb drafts to WAMMCO.
“That is a big penalty to pay and vendor producers should heed the WAMMCO warnings about de-worming and controlling their dogs to avoid spreading Ovis,” he said.
The successful lamb enterprise run by John, wife Joanne and daughters Hannah and Saffron, is based on buying in Merino ewes for mating to Poll Dorset and Coolalee rams, and in years of excess feed such as this season, also adding a complement of store lambs.
His competence in selecting good quality Merino ewes was also recently reflected in high price for his wool clip at a recent sale.
“This has been a good season for us with solid opening rains in April/May, a dry June July to generate and harden the feed and then good finishing rains.
“We aim to get two thirds of the lambs off early to WAMMCO in July August and then grow out the bottom one third on stubbles for later delivery.”
John said he had ‘done the sums’ on feedlotting but could not ‘make them work’.
The family moved to Bremer Bay after selling their property at Newdegate four years ago and have extensively upgraded the property about 20 km from Bremer Bay, particularly with new pastures and a heavy fertiliser program that is now showing excellent results.
They have been delivering between 5,000 and 6,000 prime lambs for WAMMCO for the past two years and John says his annual business with the Cooperative accounts for about two thirds of the farm enterprise.
The Iffla’s winning draft consisted of 905 lambs processed at Katanning on August 2, following an initial draft of 800 lambs the previous day.
He chose not to use WAMMCO contracts this year because of the excellent season, but normally uses the security of the contracts to underwrite his ewe and store lamb purchases.
The winning 905 draft averaged 22.82 kg and returned $3.30 per kg with a skin price of $3.45, to average $78.88 per head. 35.4 percent were in the 18.1 – 22kg class, 40.2 percent were in the 22.1-28kg, Fat Score 2 & 3 class and 24.4 percent were outside the premium classes and included those downgraded for Ovis.
John is a foundation shareholder and keen supporter of WAMMCO. He has continued to add to his shareholding because he believes in backing his industry, and he is supportive of WAMMCO’s moves to direct more benefits to shareholders.
“Rob Davidson, Peter Krupa, Fiona and others are also a helpful team to deal with.”
John said he would like to see WAMMCO develop more opportunities within the system for lighter lambs, possibly on the local market.
RECORD WAMMCO BONUS OFFSETS TOUGH YEAR
Media Release 28/07/2022 Western Australia’s largest sheep and lamb processing cooperative will return a record $8.4 million in pool bonuses to its producer members at the end of August 2022. The 2021/22 ...
Read moreWAMMCO PIONEER DIES
Media Release 14/07/22 Des Griffiths, an early CEO of the WA Meat Marketing Cooperative, credited with helping WA lamb producers to reshape an influential global lamb processing and marketing cooperative, passed ...
Read moreNEW LIVESTOCK MANAGER FOR WAMMCO
Media Release (20-06-2022) Recently appointed Livestock Manager for WAMMCO, Mike Curnick is looking forward to capping his 37-year career in WA’s livestock sector in the lamb and ...
Read moreWAMMCO LEADER RETIRES
A distinguished career in the meat processing and livestock industry will end with the retirement of the WA Meat Marketing Cooperative’s Livestock Manager Peter Krupa on June 30. Mr ...
Read moreFEBRUARY WIN FOR TIMARU
A later than normal delivery of prime Merino/SAMM lambs straight off abundant stubbles from the bumper season, helped Tim Alexander and his family of Timaru Beverley to capture WAMMCO&...
Read more
