From November 2021, all palm kernel in feeds produced at any Wynnstay manufacturing site has been RSPO certified sustainable.
The switch is part of a company-wide proactive approach to sustainability. Farmers are working hard to produce food using sustainable practices, and responsible sourcing of inputs is a big part of this. As a feed company, we can contribute by transitioning to sustainable-certified ingredients, which will support our farmers in meeting future sustainability requirements. Switching to sustainably certified palm kernel is the logical next step in ensuring responsible sourcing, following from the move to using only sustainable certified soya in 2020.
Achievement of lamb growth targets starts with the right preparations ahead of lambing. What happens from scanning through to the first four to six weeks of ewe and lamb nutrition has a huge influence on lamb daily live weight gain (DLWG) and how quickly they can leave the farm.
In episode 3 of Wynnstay Agri-Hub podcast, season 2, I was joined by youngstock specialist Laura Monk and national beef and sheep specialist Bryn Hughes to look ahead to prepare for the upcoming lambing season. We talked through the critical stages which influence lamb success, starting with ewe nutrition during pregnancy.
Grass may contain high levels of simple sugars (the main one being sucrose – the same sugar you put in your tea!) and fructan or ‘stored sugar’, collectively referred to as water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC).
In fact, a 300kg pony turned out 24/7 could consume up to 2.3kg of simple sugars and up to 7.5kg of WSC from grass alone! But fresh grass isn’t the only culprit, hay and haylage can be deceptively high in WSC too.
Weaning can be considered a simple change from milk feeding to solid feeding but in truth it is a balancing act between maximising early feed efficiency and managing rumen development.
In mid-season lambing flocks, the aim is to get lambs to 32 to 42kg as soon as possible, capitalising on early feed conversion efficiency (FCE). Investing in early nutrition to capitalise on this early growth potential will pay dividends.
With the fortnight of Eid celebrations commencing in mid-July, those who lambed early to mid-March need to get lambs finished quickly to ensure they don’t miss market opportunities.
With recent media and government focus on global issues such as climate change, deforestation, and sustainability, and in particular how the agricultural sector is contributing to these, we are continually reviewing how we can reduce our environmental impact through more sustainable practices.
Managing your ewes effectively in the last eight weeks before lambing is one of the most important stages in the sheep calendar, says experienced sheep consultant Kate Phillips. If things go wrong at this stage the effects will be noticed in the following areas, lamb birth-weight could be low, lamb losses high, colostrum is poor in quality and supplies are below average poor and subsequent lamb growth below target. Thus ensuring the health of the ewe is vitally important.
