BEEF & LAMB NZ
Nearly 70 farmers gathered at Punawai in Eighty Eight Valley for the latest B+LNZ Tasman Farming for Profit field day, where the focus was clear: grow more kilograms out the gate to lift farm profitability.
Hosted by Ian and Hamish Parkes, the ‘KG is King’ event, organised by Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) on behalf of the Tasman Farming for Profit committee, brought together farmers and industry experts to explore the management, feeding and breeding decisions that drive productivity.
The key message throughout the day was that lifting productivity starts with getting the fundamentals right: matching feed supply and demand, maintaining ewe condition, growing heavier lambs, making smarter breeding decisions and measuring kilograms produced per hectare.
Building kilograms one hectare at a time
The afternoon began with an overview of Punawai, where six generations of the Parkes family have farmed in Eighty Eight Valley.
The property has grown from about 3,000 stock units in 1980 to about 8,600 stock units today, driven by ongoing development, investment and a strong focus on production.
Hamish shared how the farm uses Farmax to monitor pasture covers, feed demand and livestock performance, with total meat and wool production per hectare at the centre of decision-making.
Key figures included:
• Current meat and wool production of 225kg/ha, with a long-term target of 257kg/ha.
• Stocking rates increasing from a long-term average of 8.3SU/ha to 9.6SU/ha in the past year.
• Lamb growth rates averaging 150g/day and tracking toward a target of 160g/day.
The Parkes family stressed the importance of measuring what matters and maintaining a clear focus on kilograms produced per hectare.
More profit starts with the ewe
Dr Rene Corner-Thomas of Massey University focused on one of the biggest opportunities available to sheep farmers: getting more value from the ewe flock. A central message from her presentation was that heavier lambs can deliver greater profit than simply increasing lambing percentages.
Heavier lambs are more efficient, require less feed per kilogram of saleable product, are often sold earlier and free up feed for other stock classes.
Rene repeatedly highlighted ewe body condition score as one of the key drivers of productivity.
Ewes in good condition are more likely to survive, remain productive for longer, produce more milk and raise heavier lambs.
One of her standout messages was: “You’re not breeding ewes, you’re breeding dairy ewes.”
She explained that milk production plays a major role in lamb growth during the first month of life, making ewe nutrition during late pregnancy critical.
Farmers were encouraged to prioritise feeding multiple-bearing and lighter-condition ewes, while continuing to focus on lamb survival through good nutrition, strong colostrum supply, effective mothering ability and sound paddock management.
Rene also urged farmers not to overlook udder health. Ewes with udder defects consistently weaned lighter lambs and achieved poorer lamb survival outcomes, making post-weaning udder checks an important culling tool.
Genetics deliver long-term gains
Dr Mark Ferguson of NextGen Agri shifted the focus to genetics, challenging farmers to view breeding decisions as long-term investments.
“The cheapest kilograms you’ll ever buy are the ones that come through better genetics,” he said.
Mark encouraged farmers to use performance data and breeding values when selecting rams and bulls rather than relying on visual appearance alone.
“The only thing that comes home with you is the genetics,” he added.
Farmers were challenged to develop breeding plans based on four key questions:
Will this animal make me money? Will it save me money? Will it save me time? Will it delight the customer?
Mark highlighted opportunities to improve profitability through traits including fertility, growth, lamb survival, worm resistance, dag score and body condition score.
He also reinforced that faster-growing animals are often more efficient because they spend fewer days on farm, require fewer treatments and free up feed for other stock classes.
While production gains remain important, he reminded farmers not to lose sight of the customer, with eating quality and product consistency remaining critical to New Zealand’s competitive advantage.
Sector focus on productivity
B+LNZ chair Kate Acland linked the day’s theme to the organisation’s long-term strategy for a more profitable, productive and resilient sheep and beef sector.
Kate highlighted that meat production remains one of the strongest drivers of farm profitability across New Zealand, with gains expected through better feed utilisation, genetics, animal performance and farm management.
She said that while sheep numbers have declined significantly over recent decades, improvements in genetics and management have helped maintain lamb production, demonstrating what can be achieved when the sector focuses on productivity.
