Hogget mating: the key to sheep industry growth

The New Zealand Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme develops emerging agribusiness leaders to help shape the future of New Zealand agribusiness and rural affairs. Lincoln University has been involved with this leaders programme since 1979 when it was launched with a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, USA.The introduction of Finn Cross sheep is leading to major changes and opportunities in the New Zealand sheep industry. The ability of this breed to mate successfully as hoggets and achieve good lambing percentages has changed replacement breeding stock from being a cost to a breeding unit to making them a profitable option to farm This project investigates the opportunity that exists to create a business that purchases ewe lambs, grazes them out, mates them and returns 2Ts to the industry. Successfully doing this would allow farmers to specialise which will create efficiencies