Newdegate SAMMS's Take WAMMCO's August title
Michele and Beau Waddell of Newdegate did not realise a draft of their SAMM/Merino cross lambs might win WAMMCO’s Producer of the Month title for August before they recently decided to reduce the scale of their lamb enterprise.
Rising costs and the absence of daughter Sonia and her partner Russell Harding on an extended overseas trip, had caused the Waddell’s to reduce their farming activities to cattle feedlotting, grain and Merinos for 2008/09.
However a successful two year pasture/cropping rotation, a strong base of Pallinup blood Merino ewes and a reserve of Quintarra SAMM genetics remains in place to resume prime lamb production if conditions permit.
The Waddells delivered their winning consignment of 304 lambs to WAMMCO Katanning on August 20.
Processing data showed that the lambs had an average carcase weight of 24.8 kg and returned $4.01 per kg under contract for an average per carcase of $99.40 – or $103.10 after allowing $3.70 per skin.
91.8 percent of the draft was classified premium class with all of the lambs in the fat score 2 and 3 grades,to attract a contract price of $4.10 per kg . Heavier individual carcases in this class realised up to $117.42.
On the cost side discounts for pleurisy, arthritis and ovis on 10 lambs dragged prices for these lambs as low as $50.
The Waddell family are traditional Merino woolgrowers but Beau said his father John had produced Poll Dorset cross Merino lambs for about 20 years through to the 1980’s when a series of droughts caused them to phase out lamb production.
The enterprise was revived in the late 1980’s with an introduction of SAMM genetics, now supplied by Mick and Todd Quinlivan’s Quintarra stud at Esperance.
Beau said whereas lamb prices had been less exciting for the past two years, he had still averaged around $100 for just over 950 prime lambs on four drafts to WAMMCO this season.
He was also an early supporter of the Prime Merino Lamb Alliance and still includes Merino lambs in his annual deliveries to WAMMCO.
A good season enabled this year’s lambs to reach target weights on pasture.
“We mate in August and aim to deliver our lambs in August, using an opportunity feedlot for 800 lambs if necessary, to keep pressure off the pastures in difficult seasons.
“Good early rains and warm conditions allowed Nungarin.Dalkeith/Serena Medic pastures to regenerate well after a two year cropping phase and these were the base of our lamb production this year.”
Beau said the family shareholding in WAMMCO had been building steadily and he had been a consistent user of supply contracts, - depending heavily on them in years when the feedlot was in use.
Another of WA’s legendary buyers of livestock, WAMMCO’s Wayne Radford retires
Wayne Radford, will retire at the end of 2022 after a 56 year career in the industry. Wayne left John Curtin High School at Fremantle to join the skins team at Wesfarmers ...
Read moreRECORD 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 more
