Protein effects subject at twin field days

Press, 21 July 1989, Page 16

Protein effects subject at twin field days

The non-availability of protein in traditional rye-grass-white clover pastures has a severe impact on the sheep industry and will be discussed at two sheep field days organised by the Lincoln College Farmers’ Committee.

The first day will be held at the Mayfield Hall on Wednesday, July 26, and the programme will be repeated the next day at the Culverden Community Centre. “If around 2 per cent of tannin could be incorporated into ' existing pastures, then it is estimated that wool production alone would increase by 20 per cent — 30 per cent,” says Dr Ken Geenty, a wool production officer with the Wool Board, one of the speakers at the field days. “‘Plants such as lotus, sulla and sanfoin contain substances, called tannin, that protect protein from breaking down in its passage through the sheep’s rumen. The protein is then absorbed after the rumen and used directly for wool production.” Dr Geenty said that some protein concentrates, such as meat and fish meals and lupin seed, have protected proteins and act the same way as the protein in plants containing tannin. The advantage of this is that supplementing sheep nuts with some fish meal, for example, can increase lamb growth by up to IOOg per day and also improve wool growth by about 20 per cent when compared with pasture and sheep nuts with similar energy contents.

A farmers’ committee spokesman, Mr Bob McFadden, of Cheviot, said that this was the kind of information that farmers need to know so that they are able to follow up on the decisions

forced on them by the drought. He hoped that by choosing the two locations, Mayfield and Culverden, the committee would be giving the greatest number of local farmers the chance to participate. “Knowledge is a two way thing. It goes from the scientist to the farmers and from the farmers to the scientists, each is dependent on the other.” Also attending the field days will be Dr Grant Sinclair, managing director (designate) of the Wool Board, who will speak on the theme of “Sheep — the dual purpose earner.” Other key speakers will include a wool scientist; Dr David Cottle; farm consultants John Tavendale and John McKenzie; a MAFTech scientist Bruce Binnie and Lincoln College Farm Management staff Neil Gow and Gill Lee. Mr McFadden said his committee welcomed the involvement of the Wool Board in the sheep field days as the historical dual role of sheep was being re-examined and the board representatives, along with the other speakers, were in a good position to consider the

implications of change. The best person, however, to consider the implications of change on his property was the farmer as only he was aware of the unique circumstances pertaining to his situation. The field days will present the facts to farmers during the morning sessions and the afternoon sessions will be devoted to workshops to clarify points and enable farmers to meld the facts into a package that will suit their situation. Local farmers will be present to get the ball rolling. Mark Ackland, David Morrow and Colin Tarbotton will be at Mayfield and Grant Calder, John Zino and Dick Davison at Culverden. “These farmers are experimenting with change and we are fortunate that they are willing to share their success and perhaps failures with us,” said Mr McFadden. Although the drought had broken, its effects were still being felt on farms. For example, the slaughtering of extra capital stock had caused an imbalance in the age structure of Canterbury’s sheep flock and this would be aggravated next season by the results of farmers withholding rams. “Historically the New Zealand sheep industry is based on the breeding ewe flock breeding its own replacements,” said Mr Neil Gow, a senior farm management lecturer at Lincoln College. “This year replacements may have been sold thus imbalancing the flock in terms of age.” Other issues to be discussed will be all-wool farming, mapping out flock programmes, and alternative strategies such as live exports and exotic breeds.