Karawatha Park featured in an article in the Weekly Times; the below was written by Nicola Bell.
THE Woolford family has a simple mission — to produce profitable sheep and crops and to enjoy doing it.
Dion Woolford and his wife, Chelsea, work alongside Dion’s parents, Bert and Barb Woolford, within the 7000ha family farming business at Kimba, in the northern part of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.
The operation consists of two properties, Karawatha and The Soaks, which are split between growing crops, such as wheat, barley and oats for hay, and breeding Merino sheep for their Karawatha Park Merino and Poll Merino studs.
About 3500ha of the property is devoted to cropping, with the other half running the self-replacing Merino flock of 4500. Up to 2000 ewes are joined each year, 50 per cent of which are part of the Karawatha Park nucleus flock and the remainder run as commercial stock.
“Our commercial flock needs to perform and improve just like our clients would expect from their own flocks,” Dion said.
The Karawatha Park stud was established after Bert and Barb took responsibility for the family’s sheep enterprise and had a vision to breed the best animals possible.
“They decided if they were going to run it, they wanted to do it properly and that there was room to improve,” Dion said.
Investing in genetics and with an artificial-insemination program, the flock did just that, an elite group of ewes forming the stud’s foundations. Naturally, Dion said, they wanted to share the genetics with others, prompting the sale of their first rams in 2001.
This year will mark Karawatha Park’s 16th on-property ram sale, where there will be an offering of 100 to 105 rams.
FLEECE FOCUS
ADULT ewes within the Karawatha Park flock produced an average 19.5-micron fleece.
Dion said the aim was to produce a sheep that was profitable for them and their clients, was fast growing, heavy cutting, highly fertile and with good maternal instincts. “The sheep need to be easy care, thrive and survive, but it all comes back to profitability and being proud of what you are doing,” he said.
The Woolfords focus on each hectare being as profitable and sustainable as possible. The wool is also an important factor and one of the major selling points for their rams.
“Our wool is free-growing, bright, white,” Dion said. “It has lustre and a bold crimp and we are at the point where we are proud of what we produce, as every animal produces a fleece we can say ‘wow’ about.”
The Woolfords started using Australian Sheep Breeding Values in 2013, firstly providing them on their sale rams. They now collect data on all sheep to ensure accuracy and as a tool to help in selection decisions. “We started using ASBVs because we could see we needed to use them to maintain progress and as seedstock producers we need to be on the front foot,” Dion said.
“We wanted more control over the genetics of our sheep and without ASBVs you can’t be sure you are moving forward objectively. ASBVs basically strip back the genetic potential of a sheep.”
DATA DRIVEN
THE Woolfords have collected ASBV data, such as fleece weight, micron and bodyweights, on every sheep since 2016.
Dion said once they built up their data and improved their accuracy they would aim to improve fleece weight, maintain micron and improve early growth — their main areas of focus.
Data collection has also given the Woolfords confidence in using their own ram genetics, which they have been doing — as well as still buying rams or semen in — for the past few years.
Dion said they also mothered up their lambs to ensure accuracy in data collection so they could provide a double-pedigree.
“Rams are only one half of the equation,” he said.
Alongside the sheep is the 3500ha cropping enterprise. An additional 1000ha of vetch and vetch-oat mix is also grown for grazing, as well as some lucerne.
Dion said they grew wheat, barley and recently oats for hay.
“We aim to produce crops at a low cost and low risk, given the nature of our environment,” she said.
The Woolfords’ northern property receives an average 300mm rainfall a year, which has prompted them to focus on a “safe rotation” of usually wheat on wheat or wheat followed by a pasture medic.
HAY THERE
DION said they were coming in to the third year of a three-year oaten hay trial on their property.
“Oaten hay is a fairly new enterprise in the district, but hay from this area is high quality and it can usually hit the premium market so we are trialling it,” Dion said.
“We don’t get many wet springs, which works for hay, and it gives us some risk management and diversification.”
While the first year of the trial was not successful, due to rain and a hay shed fire, the second year was close to what they had budgeted.
Dion said a major focus was ensuring they looked after their staff — a mix of permanent and casual employees.
“We had to move away from this mentality of we can do everything ourselves, because we really wouldn’t be able to do what we do without them,” he said.
He said the enjoyment and fulfilment of their employees was paramount. Dion is also in his first term as a director on the Grain Producers South Australia board, which he sees as a good opportunity to help influence in the market they operate in.
“Without groups like GPSA farmers can lack a voice,” he said.
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