James Aitken
JAMES AITKEN
Back in the mid 90s we were a monitor farm breeding romneys, but our performance was beginning to plateau. I stood up and said it’s not good enough to have 120% lambing – there’s got to be a better way.
Some people’s response was “just get bigger romneys”, but they just eat more and who wants to crutch 80kg monsters? A couple of people even resigned from the monitor farming group, such is the fear of change out there.
Vet Services here in Hawke’s Bay has 15 years of detailed scanning data comparing romneys with composites. On an apples with apples basis their data shows composites scan, on average, 20% more than purebreds.
Vet Services are professionals with no axe to grind. The 20% differential was too significant from a profitability point to keep this information to themselves.
The great strength of Kelso sheep is that they’re dynamic. Whereas the romney goal has been to breed the perfect 1950s Romney, it’s the ‘outlyers’ that bring the change and genetic advancement. The genetics should never stay the same.
The hybrid has infinitely more genetic progress than a ‘normal’ flock and I have enormous admiration and respect for Roger and David Marshall and the Kelso team to ensure we keep benefiting from this dynamism.