Lower Llatho Project Introduction: Improving the profitability and efficiency of a hill sheep enterprise
Site: Lower Llatho
Address: Cregrina, Builth Wells, Powys
Technical Officer: Elan Davies
Project Title: Improving the profitability and efficiency of a hill sheep enterprise
Introduction to project:
Lower Llatho is a beef and sheep hill farm in Cregrina, Powys, run by the Davies family. With the ever-increasing uncertainty in the lamb market, especially for lighter hill lambs, future proofing the business is vital for the family at Lower Llatho. Focusing on flock performance, efficiency and profitability, the business is hoping to identify key areas of improvement with the aim of being as ready as possible for whatever uncertainties may lie ahead for the sheep industry here in Wales.
With this in mind, the project will be focussing on four main statements relating to sheep productivity and efficiency;
- Which flock is better in terms of sheep productivity and performance, mule flock vs hill flock?
- Evaluating the benefit of selling hill lambs earlier at a lighter weight
- How to make the most of weight information from lambs
- How to reduce wintering cost.
The farm is also part of Hybu Cig Cymru’s Hill Ram Scheme. This scheme brings the latest technology to upland flocks in Wales, with the aim of strengthening the Welsh sheep sector through long-term genetic improvement. Being involved with this scheme will nicely complement the proposed work through this focus site project.
Project Objectives:
The main aim of this project is to identify key areas that will improve performance, efficiency and profitability on a typical Welsh hill farm. This will be done by monitoring and benchmarking key performance indicators across (and within) the sheep enterprise at Lower Llatho.
The following four main statements relating to sheep productivity and efficiency will be explored;
- Which flock is better in terms of sheep productivity and performance, as well as profit; mule flock vs hill flock?
- Evaluating the benefit of selling hill lambs earlier at a lighter weight
- How to make the most of weight information from lambs
- How to reduce wintering cost.
Key Performance Indicators set:
- Increase winter and spring grass covers (from 1,400kgDM/ha to 2,000kgDM/ha) with improved grassland management
- Reduce days to slaughter (benchmark data for 2019/2020 not yet known)
- Increase kg reared per ewe (benchmark data for 2019/2020 not yet known)
Timeline and Milestones:
Liz Genever, independent beef and sheep consultant will be working with us on this project with the aim of concentrating on the following aspects of the sheep enterprise.
The following information/data will be recorded;
- Body condition score of ewes at tupping, scanning, lambing/clostridial diseases vaccination time, 8 week weights (8WW) and weaning, with weights if possible at tupping, scanning, 8WW and weaning – at least 10% of random sheep selected from mule and hill flock
- Scanning information, lamb losses and lamb sales per flock
- Lamb weights at 8 weeks of age and weaning (at least 10% of each batch)
- Lamb marketing pattern and slaughter data 2021
- Lamb marketing pattern and slaughter data in 2019 and 2020 to act as comparison
- Monthly pasture cover reading and stock census