Most of the ewes that make up the New Zealand ewe flock are high performance animals, many of them sitting on a metabolic knife-edge as they get closer to lambing, says Ben Allot, North Canterbury Vets.

Expect lambing percentages to be lower in many regions this year as the effects of a severe outbreak of facial eczema (FE) hit home.

White the lamb crop is the lowest since 1953, sheep farmers have become much more productive, says Beef + Lamb NZ chief economist Andrew Burtt.

The sheep production research team at Massey University is busy this spring doing lots of studies on Massey University's agricultural experiment stations.

Roger Tweeds runs 2300 Romney ewes and 200 hoggets on his 300ha farm near Lawrence, Central Otago.

John McFadzean has farmed in Wairarapa all his life and is a staunch supporter of the Southdown as a terminal sire.

Southdown breeder Chris Medlicott says farmers too often focus on the price per lamb instead of the return on kilograms of dry matter eaten.

With predictions the El Nino will continue through summer, Ballance says now is the time to proceed with a pasture and stock feed programme.

Massey University's International Sheep Research Centre has for ten years researched top tips for lambing -- getting the most out of a sheep flock after a hard winter.

Whether you have a ewe with a bearing, a ewe you want to take a lamb to, or a ram you want to use as a teaser – it can be harnessed, says Rurtec.