4 December 2013 Lincoln University announces LincolnSheep for education, training and research in sheep farming

Lincoln University is converting 20 hectares of its farmland at its Te Waihora campus into a facility for teaching and researching sheep breeding and intensive lamb finishing. The land was previously used as the site for the South Island Field Days.

The new site for LincolnSheep will use 15 hectares for a partially-irrigated ‘technology farm’ as a summer-safe sheep breeding unit. The unit will be used to investigate and demonstrate current and future on-farm technologies in the management of sheep, hogget and lamb selection, health, welfare and production, with the ultimate aim of maximising productivity and profitability for sheep farming.

LincolnSheep’s first project will focus on the costs of internal parasites, leading to a demonstration of the long-term benefits that accrue from prolonged control of said parasites. This research will take approximately three years after which LincolnSheep will shift its focus to another area of importance to sheep farmers.

The remaining five hectares will be used as a fully-irrigated, lamb and beef, intensive-finishing unit for the principal purpose of demonstrating best use of summer-safe and summer-dry lands for finishing stock, as well as exploring the optimal use of individual animal recording and associated information technologies.

According to Lincoln University’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr Andrew West, LincolnSheep will help the University and Lincoln Hub partners evaluate and demonstrate current and emerging technologies for sheep farming to undergraduates and postgraduates, as well as using it for the University’s Whenua Kura training partnership with Ngai Tahu.

“And farmers are welcome too,” says Dr West. “They might be able to teach us, as well as the University being useful to them. LincolnSheep will not just excite students about careers in the red-meat industry it will really help boost our research on sheep as well, plus there’s an element of beef cattle in there too.”

“The red-meat industry needs a shot in the arm at this time and Lincoln University is doing its bit with LincolnSheep,” says Dr West

December sees soil testing at the site and the sowing of appropriate pasture and forage species. Fencing will commence in January 2014 along with the construction of handling yards. Stock will be transferred to the site from February 2014.