Putting the good fats back into lamb
Simon Saunders is enjoying the challenge of being involved with The Omega Lamb Project, which aims to deliver the ultimate eating experience through its Te Mana Lamb brand. Diane Bishop reports
Breeding great tasting lambs that command a premium is part of Simon Saunders’ farming philosophy.
Saunders is one of the foundation farmers in Headwaters, a sheep breeding company that aims to produce lambs with higher levels of Omega-3 and intramuscular fat.
The lambs are then marketed and sold for a premium under the Te Mana Lamb brand.
‘’It’s an exciting journey and we feel lucky to be part of it,’’ Saunders said.
Saunders and his wife Annabel run Headwaters elite breeding programme on their 1384 hectare hill country property Stag Valley at Castlerock, near Lumsden.
They recently hosted a Beef + Lamb New Zealand Farming 4 Profit field day showcasing the Omega Lamb Project.
The Headwaters breed is a stabilised composite comprising Perendale, Romney, Finn and Texel and was developed by a group of farmers and geneticists including Andy Ramsden in 2006.
In 2014 Headwaters joined forces with Alliance Group and MPI as part of a Primary Growth Partnership and established the Omega Lamb Project.
The project aims to put the fat back into lamb in a healthy way by breeding animals with higher levels of Omega-3 and polyunsaturated fatty acids – essentially what nutritionists call the good fats.
The Saunders’ now farm a complete Headwaters ewe flock after making the switch from Coopdales.
They currently farm 3900 commercial ewes, 1200 elite ewes, 1400 replacement ewe hoggets along with 80 Angus cows, 30 risingtwo-year heifers and they contract graze about 150 dairy heifers from December to May.
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‘‘We’ve been good at breeding, but not so good at finishing. ‘’The last five years we’ve learned a lot and we’re making significant progress.’’ - Simon Saunders, Headwaters foundation farmer.