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LOCATION The Eastern Dohne Central Nucleus is run on the farm Tweeddale belonging to the Armstrong family. It is situated 20 km west of Cathcart in the Eastern Cape Province. This a summer rainfall area receiving 500 mm of rain annually. It is at an altitude of 1500 m resulting in extreme conditions with regular heavy frosts and several snowfalls during winter. Barry Armstrong and his son Richard manage the group breeding scheme on behalf of the members and Gill Armstrong assists with the administration of the stud. In addition to the stud ewes in the nucleus the Armstrong’s run approximately 2,500 commercial Dohne Merino ewes and a large beef herd.
HISTORY The E.D.C.N. was formed in 1979 by 16 Dohne Merino Stud Breeders, mainly from the Eastern Cape. It was the first Stud Group Breeding Scheme for sheep in South Africa. At present there are 12 members who run approximately 3,500 stud ewes and about 25,000 commercial ewes.
BREEDING SYSTEM Many members apply the Open Nucleus system whereby approximately 5% of their top commercial ewes are promoted annually to the stud flocks. To qualify they have to pass strict selection and performance tests. Elevating the top commercial animals to stud level in this way ensures a wide gene pool and minimises inbreeding. Because all members of the EDCN are stud breeders, very accurate performance records of all sheep are available. Members contribute their best ewes to the nucleus at 3˝ years of age after they have lambed twice and their lambs have been evaluated, ensuring that only the very best genetic material is introduced into the Nucleus. In exchange for these top ewes, members receive the best rams bred in their families in the Nucleus - one top sire for every four ewes contributed. A standardised breeding system which comprises pedigree and performance recording is followed in the EDCN. Single sire mating is applied and all sires are progeny tested. The EDCN was the first stud to participate in the North East Cape Sire Reference Scheme (NEC SRS). Breeding Values are available for all animals born in the EDCN since 1992. EDCN sires are amongst the top performers in the NEC SRS and many have qualified as Merit and Elite sires. They have had an enormous influence on the Dohne Merino industry in the RSA. The EDCN has produced more merit ewes than any other Dohne Merino stud in South Africa. |
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THE LARGEST DOHNE MERINO GENE POOL IN SOUTH AFRICA |
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Eastern Dohne Central Nucleus |
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ENVIRONMENT Because of the harsh environment, animals bred in the EDCN have earned the reputation of hardy well adapted sheep. Natural grazing is good during spring and early summer but the grass rapidly loses its nutritive value during the autumn and in winter it is of very poor quality being very low in protein at that stage. Protein supplements provided during winter are kept to a bare minimum to ensure that the sheep in the nucleus remain hardy and well adapted to local conditions. Although a ram breeding flock, it is the policy not to pamper the sheep unnecessarily. They are expected to perform under the same conditions under which commercial sheep are run in the region.
PRODUCTION Despite the harsh environment lambing percentages have always been between 125% and 140%. EDCN sheep produce high quality fine wool and for the last 9 years the average micron for hoggets was 17.7 micron, young sheep (second shear) 19.8 micron and the main fleece line 20.7 micron. The fleeces from the hogget rams realised the highest price on that particular wool sale in 1999 - R51 per kg. for a line of 17.2µ. The genetic trends (Graph 1) depict an increase in Body Weight, a slight increase in Clean Fleece Weight and a decrease in Fibre Diameter since 1992. The healthy balance between Body Weight and Clean Fleece Weight is conducive to hardiness, fertility and reproduction. |
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· The EDCN earned the bi-annual regional Top Breeder Award of the Society for the Eastern Cape on the last three successive occasions - 1995, 1997 and 1999. · The Normandy Stud earned the Top Breeder Award for the Karoo on every occasion since it was instituted and has twice won the National Top Breeder Award. · The FEM stud has earned the North East Cape Top Breeder Award on every occasion since it was instituted and has won the National Top Breeder Award three times. · Other members are among the top breeders in the country.
SALES Since 1989 a public sale has been held annually on which 60 to 80 stud and flock rams, surplus maiden and mature stud ewes are offered for sale. As the concept of hardy veldt reared group-bred animals has increasingly become accepted by enlightened farmers, this sale has enjoyed great success. Both rams and ewes are highly sought after for their inherent hardiness and excellent genetic potential. Animals from the nucleus perform brilliantly where ever they are used. The SA Record price for ewes was achieved at the EDCN sale in 1989 when twin merit ewes were sold for R2,300 each. In January 1998 the EDCN, together with some of its members supplied the first 50 donor animals for flushing of fertilised embryos for export to Australia. These embryos produced the very first Dohne Merino lambs to be born in Australia. Further consignments of embryos are being regularly exported.. |
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Stud ewes with lambs on sourveld grazing at the EDCN in the Cathcart district of the Eastern Cape region. |
