HEAVIER CARCASS weights, lambing ease and higher marking percentages of Dohne sheep have resulted in a gross margin more than comparable with cropping for South Australian farmer Chris Curnow. Chris and his wife Ann farm 600ha at Avon, on the Adelaide Plains, and run a flock of 700 Dohne ewes in conjunction with a cropping enterprise. The Curnows are members of a Sheep Connect sponsored benchmarking group, and have a handle on just how profitable their Dohnes are. Continue reading →

This season Mr South, along with leading livestock hand Kelly Gorter, decided to try a 21-day joining program with a mob of their Dohne ewes, after seeing some positive results over the past few years since coming back to a 28-day period from 30 days and before that a more traditional 35-day joining. Ms Gorter said the mob of 650 red and blue tag Dohne ewes, which had all scanned with twins last year, identified by the records made using their electronic tags, were mated to Dohne rams at two per cent for just 21 days and the results were "pleasing". "We'd been scanning about 3-5 per cent drys for the oldest age groups of ewes at 28 days so we budgeted on having 10-15pc dry's for the 21-day joining," Ms Gorter said. Continue reading →

"We can’t justify breeding crossbred lambs anymore because the Dohne lambs bring in more money." INTRODUCING the Dohne breed and a new feeding system has increased lamb survival rates and profits for the Boyne family. Peter Boyne, together with his brother Richard and his wife Fran and their two children Shane and Reece own 8000 hectares in the Koorda district in WA and over the last four years have undergone a transformation of the Dohne kind. Due to the dry seasonal conditions and management reasons the Boynes have recently made the decision to phase out their Merinos and slowly breed up to a pure Dohne flock.   Continue reading →

IN a world becoming increasingly socially conscious on animal welfare, social responsibility and environmental sustainability, the wool industry will always be subject to constant change and innovation. Over the past 30 years, and in particular the past 3, mulesing has been at the forefront of focus from both within and beyond the industry. While Australia and New Zealand are at the global forefront of not only government regulation but also a communal push to improve their practices, it can be seen that the most significant influence on the wool industry is from consumers and retailers. Continue reading →

KEEPING A FOCUS on the wool side of the equation, James and Josephine Clark’s Dohne flock is producing good results. In fact, they’re even giving some Merino producers a run for their money. Continue reading →

2020 All Stars Masterchef contestant Hayden Quinn, was lucky enough to wrap his fangs around some very good Dohne Merino lamb from Trevor, Kaye and Nigel Bottrall’s farm “Greenslopes” in Jamestown, South Australia. Unwrapping the lamb the high quality of the meat was immediately obvious just from looking at the different cuts; the deep red meat is surrounded by a consistent, milky white fat layer which is perfect to ensure the meat remains tender and moist during cooking. Continue reading →