The growing season and high production affects the potential stocking rate and pasture utilisation and therefore affects the recommendations for ewe management. 

Details on management targets and the cost of missing production targets can be found in the economics section. The economic analysis that supports these recommendations is generated using the Little River MIDAS model.  Download the full report of the modeling for this region  (250kB PDF)

Late winter-spring lambing provides the best match of pasture availability to the energy needs of the ewe and lamb. This match can allow more sheep to be run relative to lambing at other times of the year.  

The optimum profile for spring lambing flocks for the central northern zone is:

1. to allow moderate loss of condition from joining to 'break of season', provided the condition can be regained prior to lambing on green feed
2. aim for Condition Score 2.6 -3.0 at joining

The most important target for ewe flocks is to regain condition lost in early pregnancy before lambing commences.  Meeting this target gives the optimum profitability. An alternative option is to start at a higher condition score, lose 0.6 of a condition score and re-gain at least 0.3 of the condition lost by lambing.

Ewes can lose some condition over early pregnancy, however, they must regain the condition lost in early pregnancy by lambing.  There is a trade-off between the cost of re-gaining lost condition and the increase in lamb mortality, especially in twins. Gaining condition must be done with green feed as supplementary feed costs are too high to be offset by gains in production.

Ewes require 1200 FOO by lambing for single ewes and 1800 FOO for twinning ewes to regain lost condition. If this amount of green feed isn't likely to be available then the next best approach is to lose less condition or maintain ewe condition throughout pregnancy. Establishing pastures should be deferred so that FOO targets can be reached.

• Increasing ewe condition should only be done using green feed.  It is rarely economic to feed grain to increase condition
  
• Only lose enough condition over autumn that can be regained using green feed after the break. 
  

• If ewes are, by reason of a good summer, on a higher starting CS, continue to follow the shape of the higher profiles rather than lose more condition to start on the lower profile.  This will still give a high economic return.