PETER McAnulla has been there, done it and has the T-shirt to prove it! Over many years the commercial sheep producer from Mountjoy, near Omagh, has grown and developed his flock to command a premium price for his lambs and, in the process, has attempted to cater for the ever-changing needs of the consumer.
During that time Peter's flock of 325 ewes has changed significantly. In the early days he ran a base flock of Scottish Blackface, which he crossed with the Border Leicester to produce quality Crossbred ewes. Peter, in turn, crossed the Greyface with a Suffolk ram to produce quality lambs, most of which were sold through Omagh Auction Mart, for the supermarket shelf.
These days there is a decreasing Blackface influence in Peter's breeding flock, which now consists of a mixture of Mule, Greyface, Texel and Suffolk X. Down the decades though one factor has remained unchanged – the use of a Suffolk as his number one terminal sire.
"That has always been the case and always will be," said Peter.
"In my eyes the Suffolk is tried and tested. The breed has been a consistent performer and has developed and improved over the years.
"For someone like myself, who has ewes of many types, the Suffolk is the ideal sire. You have to be careful with other breeds by crossing them back to the right type of ewe, but there are no such problems with the Suffolk. It is very much dual purpose in that respect.
"Admittedly I have dabbled with other breeds occasionally but when it comes to performance and attracting top price in the sale ring the Suffolk remains the king.
"There is no question that Suffolk bred lambs have superior growth rate and mature much earlier than most other breeds. The length of their carcase is another obvious bonus and allows farmers to put on that extra weight if they have a copious supply of grass or if the lamb market is depressed at that particular time."
Recognised as one of the top commercial producers in the Omagh area, Peter is a stickler for consistency and in an era of the Single Farm Payment and tightening margins he leaves no stone unturned in attempting to maximise the efficiency and profitability of his enterprise.
Lambing begins each year on March 20 and from early summer onwards Peter is making regular trips to his nearest livestock centre with well fleshed and supremely shaped Suffolk cross lambs.
"The aim is to fatten a high proportion of the lambs, but if the price is attractive and grass supply on the decrease I usually sell a percentage of stores every year," said Peter.
"Some people might make a case for other breeds when it comes to fattening lambs but I know from experience that in the store ring consistent well-bred Suffolk lambs are highly sought after and command a premium rate. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
"Anyone with a good grass supply who puts on Suffolk store lambs know they will get results each and every time. It goes without saying that they will get exceptional liveweight gain and in matter of weeks they have well fleshed lambs ready for the hook.
"I have seen many changes in sheep farming down the years and it has become no easier to sustain a profitable enterprise. One thing has remained consistent and that is the value and merit of using a pedigree Suffolk. They have been tried and tested and remain unrivalled as the number one."
* The Suffolk Sheep Society Northern Ireland Branch will hold their a show and sale in Omagh Auction Mart on Wednesday evening (September 5). The show will begin at 6pm with the sale getting underway at 7pm. Judge on the evening will be A Barkley and the show prizes have been sponsored by Cydectin.
