Dr Nick Sneddon is now leading the self-shedding Wiltshire sheep project.

Farmer interest continues to grow as a Massey University research project to determine the benefits or otherwise of the self-shedding Wiltshire sheep is underway. The project is five years in and has two more years to go. It was done mainly in the light of low wool prices and the cost of shearing. Peter Burke recently went along to the annual field day held Massey's Riverside farm in the Wairarapa.

Lambs that have had a tough start to life are obvious at docking/tailing as scrawny little critters with a potty tummy and no fat on their backs - hence the term 'poddy'. Ginny Dodunski, Beef + Lamb NZ Wormwise programme manager, outlines the best way to deal with these lambs so they can perform to their full potential.

If growing more feed at home adds up to $428 profit per tonne of dry matter to your bottom line, wouldn’t it be good to have a ryegrass that gets you there quicker?

This is the third in a series of articles from Beef + Lamb New Zealand's Informing New Zealand Beef programme. The seven-year INZB partnership, supported by Beef+Lamb New Zealand and the Ministry for Primary Industries' Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, aims to boost the sector's profits by $460m.

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