Episode #4
Building flexibility into a WA sheep business with Moojepin Merinos
Hamish Thompson from Moojepin Merinos has spent the past few years building more flexibility into a sheep business operating in a challenging part of Western Australia. Farming Merino sheep alongside cropping, Hamish has invested heavily in containment, feed production and genetics to give the business more options when the season turns against them. After a run of tough seasons, the Thompson family made a significant change to the way they managed their sheep. In 2021, they invested around $100,000 in a containment system for about 2,000 ewes, giving them a way to hold sheep off the paddocks, bank feed and make better use of the season as it unfolded. Hamish Thompson says he wishes they had done it 30 years earlier. Moojepin have also maintained a strong focus on measurement and recording, which has helped them select sheep that can perform across both wool and meat production under drought conditions. Hamish also discusses where he thinks the future of Agriculture is going. With new approaches to measuring eating quality emerging, he sees an opportunity for producers to be paid for the quality of the product they produce, rather than its weight. In this episode, Hamish shares how the Thompson family has built more flexibility into their sheep enterprise and why he believes the industry needs to keep looking ahead as the markets evolve. Further resources: The WA Sheep Transition Hub compiles resources, information and links associated with the phase-out of live sheep exports by sea. The Hub is designed to support business decisions by providing clear, practical and evidence-based information to help producers navigate the transition and adapt with confidence. https://www.mla.com.au/research-and-development/wa-sheep-transition-hub/
