“We are in this business for the long term and I believe that the future of the sheep industry lies in producing genetically superior, high health status stock, capable of thriving on grass based rations without reliance on cereal supplementation. We only sell breeding stock direct from our farm.” Peter Baber
We are a commercial sheep farm, situated on LFA lowland pastures on the edge of the beautiful Dartmoor National Park, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in Devon.
We currently keep 1,100 ewes, all fully performance recorded (140 Suffolks, 130 Texels, 150 Friesland and 680 Exlana ewes) and fed solely off grass despite being located on the LFA lowland pastures on the edge of beautiful Dartmoor National Park. All our replacement ewe lambs are from our own closed flock with hybrid vigour introduced through a selective AI programme.
Our particular interest is in producing the highest quality breeding stock of three terminal sire breeds and two maternal breeds which must all be ‘Fit for Purpose’ ie fitter more fertile and more active rams which live longer with improved natural resistance to worms and grow faster with excellent carcasses. Our flock is managed under commercial conditions and our stock are not fed for show ring , our philosophy of breeding for ‘Genetics, not Cosmetics’ means we produce the most successful long term sustainable improvements in profitability. It is the genetics of breeding stock and their general health, fertility and potency which design ‘Fitness for Purpose’. We rear all our lambs entirely on grass which means that all their own performance records are measured against their ability to grow whilst sucking a ewe, fed solely on grass, and then after weaning their own ability to grow on grass without any supplementation with creep etc. Over feeding can ultimately adversely affect all of these factors. The animals we breed must be well above average for growth rate and carcass traits, and maternal traits but equally importantly, they must be able to survive, thrive and perform on grass with only minimal strategic cereal supplementation. I believe that the levels of cereal supplementation required to produce rams which will compete in the show ring or the major ram sales are not only detrimental to the ram’s future health and fertility but also tend to select for the wrong attributes.