Meeting needs of regen model

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Breeding productive sheep resistant to flystrike and worms has been a prime focus for Goondiwindi-based breeders Rissmerino.

With the danger of blowflies continuing to develop resistance to flystrike chemicals and reduced protection periods becoming a common occurrence, the team at Rissmerino are providing an alternative approach to suit buyers' needs.

Father and son team Trevor and Alan Rissmann started the stud in 2018 by purchasing the entire draft of stud ewes and sires from Well Gully Poll Merino's initial dispersal sale.

Well Gully's former stud principal delivered a workshop more than 20 years ago explaining how he selected for flystrike and fleece rot resistant wool and sheep.

As Alan Rissmann explains, there are multiple parts that all work together to breed a non-mulesed sheep that is resistant to flystrike.

"The easiest one is breeding a plainer-bodied sheep," he said.

"This means having less body wrinkle, less breech wrinkle and a bare breech.

"Another indicator is selecting for less dag and urine stain.

"It is relatively easy with a bit of measurement to select for these traits while improving wool quality, reducing micron and maintaining wool cut.

"Fertility and survivability are added benefits.

"Before starting Rissmerino, the Rissmann family increased their marking rate by over 30 per cent in 10 years by selecting for plainer sheep with the right style of wool.

"Flies will breed in warm, moist environments, so it is also important to have wool that breathes well and dries out quickly after getting wet."

The Rissmanns achieve this by selecting for highly aligned fibres of even fibre diameter.For many sheep producers moving away from mulesing can feel overwhelming.

The Rissmann family are dedicated to helping these growers by providing some of the best genetics on the market.

"Chasing sheep for flies is very time-consuming," Mr Rissmann said.

"We put our sheep to the test so that's a job our clients don't have.

"With a goal being to produce sheep that don't require chemical inputs, breeding for worm resistance is also a priority.

"We started a trial this year looking at sheep resistance to worms," Mr Rissmann said.

"We use data from lamb faecal egg counts to track resistance.

"We selected the lowest 25 per cent of our egg count groups from each year and didn't drench them.

"We then compared them with the higher counts to see if that one measurement was indicative of a lifetime of resistance to worms and we've proven that pretty conclusively."

At the first check, four months later, the higher count ewes contained nearly double the worm numbers and needed drenching.

At the second count, eight months after the start of the trial, the undrenched low count ewes still didn't need drenching, and the drenched high count ewes had nearly the same number of worms as them again.

Mr Rissmann said it was a priority for the stud to breed a sheep that fits into a regenerative grazing model and was raising the Rissmerino flock to mirror the values of true sustainable agriculture.

"Outside of joining, our sheep are run in a big mob of about 1400-1500 ewes and we're working to ensure minimal chemical inputs.

"We're wanting to breed sheep that will thrive on whatever pasture is in front of them."

Mr Rissmann said the goal is to regenerate the landscape, alongside producing fast growing, fine micron, unmulesed sheep for market.

"I think this is where our industry is starting to head.

"Many of the young growers I know are starting to transition to bigger mobs, more paddocks, more frequent moves of their livestock to rest their paddocks and enhance pasture growth and building of soil," he said.

"We're leading the pack in breeding a sheep that's suited to that system."

The family are also focused on improving high staple length, fleece weight and early growth by sourcing semen from across Australia.

They also utilise the service of Mark Ferguson, NeXtgen Agri, to push the limits with their breeding.

"We aim to breed a Merino that grows soft, fine wool, and has high fertility, early growth and lamb survival, while running unassisted on native pastures."

Mr Rissmann said he is looking forward to the stud's upcoming ram sale held at 'Rosedale', Yelarbon, on September 18 at 1pm.

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