Bold statement: When adversity tightens the feed and market pressures bite, one Victorian farmer chooses to grow his flock rather than shrink it. And this is where the discussion gets truly interesting. Dusty Pascoe, a mixed farmer near Raywood, demonstrates a bold and thoughtful strategy: he’s increasing his ewe numbers even as tough conditions persist, using grain and hay grown on his own land to supplement feed and running a small on-farm feedlot to finish lambs. This approach contrasts with many peers who have cut breeding stock to cope with drought and volatility. Here’s how Pascoe is navigating the challenges, and what beginners can learn from his method.
Pascoe manages a self-replacing Merino flock of roughly 3,500 to 4,000 ewes alongside a cropping operation on 2,000 hectares. He has finished joining and anticipates May lambing. In addition, he runs crossbred lambs that are finished in a compact, on-farm feedlot capable of holding about 2,000 head. Rather than reduce his breeding herd, Pascoe has kept surplus ewes that could have been sold, pairing them with a White Suffolk ram. The plan is to create a “surplus mob”—either to sell as scanned-in-lamb or to lamb down himself if markets or conditions require it. He notes that even modest rain—two or three inches in the near term—could make scanned-in-lambs highly valuable.
Before scanning at the end of the month, Pascoe will cull dry stock and adjust feeding plans accordingly, keeping his system tight to maximize every resource. He emphasizes the importance of prioritizing feed where it’s most needed, saying, “I’m always allocating the best feed to the animals that need it most,” whether they’re finishing lambs or preparing ewe lambs for joining. He also highlights that his ewes come into scanning in excellent condition, which gives him a strong advantage without the need to add extra weight at this stage.
Pascoe’s May lambing aligns well with his cropping, particularly because lucerne pasture can grow abundantly with rain, providing a reliable base for weaning and finishing lambs. In tighter years, his strategy relies on finishing lambs with a combination of grain, hay, or straw sourced from his own properties, supplemented by a small feedlot. He currently manages a couple of mobs on grain feeders grazing the remaining stubble, positioning them as a “pressure-release” mechanism that can be moved into the feedlot when needed.
Continuous adaptation is central to Pascoe’s approach. He exercises a range of tools—ample hay and grain stocks, containment yards, and a feedlot—to respond to evolving conditions, while maintaining soil and land integrity. His philosophy is pragmatic: if the opportunity exists, he seizes it; if not, he pivots to another plan. This disciplined, lean system is designed to maximize profitability without compromising soil health.
In Pascoe’s practice, stubble grazing serves as the initial feed strategy, followed by a stocked reserve of on-farm feed for self-feeders, with the feedlot as a subsequent step. He has found faba beans particularly valuable in dry spells, both for ground grazing and for use in feeders. The crops-sheep relationship is integral to his model: he envisions a mix of about 75% cropping to 25% sheep as the optimal balance to maximize overall farm output.
On the wool side, the Merino flock typically yields around 6.8 kilograms of wool per adult ewe at a fiber diameter of about 19.6 microns, with wool marketed throughout the year. Pascoe notes that it’s usually easier to add meat than to increase wool, so even as the wool market improves, lamb production remains a more reliable revenue driver given broader market dynamics.
Industry voices highlight the same tension Pascoe faces: seasonal conditions and water availability are the key constraints that shape stocking rates, joining decisions, and overall profitability. Water scarcity reduces confidence to expand, while a favorable autumn break can embolden producers to hold or increase breeding stock. In this environment, containment feeding and the relative advantage of grain prices can create opportunities for more intensive feeding strategies, even as farmers navigate the bigger challenge of sustainable land use.
Agribusiness experts caution that the season largely dictates outcomes. In drought-affected areas, producers may sell older ewes or downsize breeding cohorts to manage risk, while others wait for reliable rainfall before expanding. The outlook for autumn joining remains contingent on current and anticipated conditions, with some producers choosing Merino or crossbred rams based on wool market signals and feed availability.
Looking ahead, many farmers enter lambing with reasonably good grain harvests, which reduces immediate feeding costs and supports breeding programs. Yet the real trade-off remains: maximizing short-term gains must be balanced against the long-term investment in breeding stock and soil health. A healthy, resilient flock starts with good condition at scanning, continued access to high-quality forage, and a flexible plan that can pivot between grazing, on-farm feed, and feedlot finishing as weather and markets move.
Question for readers: If you were managing a mixed farming operation like Pascoe’s, would you prioritize expanding the breeding flock when conditions tighten, or would you focus on optimizing finish through feedlot systems? Share your take in the comments, and tell us which levers you would pull first in a challenging season.
