ELMORE farmers hope a new trial can help them get an edge with prime lamb flocks.
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The trial could help them establish when best to shear sheep to get the best wool and meat, Elmore Field Days sheep committee vice-president Ged McCormick said.
"A lot of people are saying they like shearing every six months, others eight months and some say they only do it every 12 months," he said.
"No-one has really taken any measurements of this stuff for a good 30 years."
One hundred and sixty ewes from two different properties will be part of the trial, with some sheep sheared every six months and others every 12.
"We want to see if there is more meat growth by shearing every six months, and whether we can get the wool value and all the characteristics that the buyers are looking for at wool options," Mr McCormick said.
"We want measurements. It's all about measurements. If you can say 'doing it this way will pick up an extra $5 a head', on a big farm running 10,000 sheep that's a lot of money.
"For a little bloke running 1000 that's still five grand. That's a holiday for the family."
A lot of people are experimenting with different breeding regimes and ewes had been sourced for trials from multiple properties, Mr McCormick said.
"We've always run trials here of some description," he said.
In the early days the focus has been on wool but in the last 30 years the focus had increasingly been on meat too, which helped protect the region's farmers against fluctuations in the price of wool, Mr McCormick said.
"Ewes come from different properties - about 45 different lots. They take a bit of glory in winning trials and that sort of thing," he said.
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The upcoming shearing program will be part of the Elmore Field Days' Ewes for the Future trials, the most recent of which started in January 2015.
That trial focuses on fertility and has compared three Merino breeds with three crossbred types, with farmers tracking lambing percentages, lamb growth, wool and easy care characteristics.
The prime lamb breeds include those most common to the Elmore region and northern Victoria, as well as others known for performance.
For more about the trials and to view past results visit elmorefielddays.com.au/whats-on/eye-productivity-trials
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