MMFS Manual
Making More From Sheep is a best practice package of management information and tools for Australian sheep producers, developed by AWI and MLA. The Making More From Sheep (MMFS) Manual is designed to help sheep producers increase the productivity and profitability of their enterprises and the personal satisfaction of operating a successful farming business. It doesn’t matter where you start as there's information in the modules which fits right across the sheep production enterprise. Browse individual Modules below.
Business & People
Module 1 Plan for Success
Careful planning always increases your chances of being successful. However, setting objectives and making decisions are very individual tasks. Some people like to write detailed plans, while others prefer to keep it all in their heads. On most grazing properties, the planning process is fairly informal, perhaps sometimes a little too informal for such complex systems.
Module 2 Market Focused Wool Production
Successfully producing and marketing wool can be one of the most challenging but rewarding roles for a sheep producer. Taking a market focus to production is the basis for: planning and operation within the wool enterprise; better management of price risk; selling to advantage; and improved profitability.
Module 3 Market Focused Lamb and Sheepmeat Production
This module is designed to assist sheep producers to deliver quality assured lamb and sheepmeat to target market specifications. It integrates technical aspects of the production system with the marketing process to enable you to better manage the production system and price risks; meet market specifications and consumer expectations for eating quality; and
improve business profitability through better understanding of the marketing process.
Module 4 Capable and Confident Producers
This module focuses on the people who are important to your business, whether they are family members, owners or employees, advisers or contractors. It offers practical ways to boost capacity, capability and confidence (in oneself and in others) through more effective communication, long-term planning and, ultimately, business performance.
Natural Resources & Feed
Module 5 Protect Your Farm's Natural Assets
Healthy, resilient natural assets including soil, water and vegetation underpin livestock production, increase the capital value and profitability of your enterprise, and add immeasurably to the comfort, satisfaction and temperament of all who live or work there.
Module 6 Healthy Soils
More than any other farm resource, soil health is about protecting and building up the capital so that we, as well as future generations, can continue to live on the interest. No amount of technology, genetics or grazing management will protect a business in the longer term if that business is depleting the soil resources.
Module 7 Grow More Pasture
‘Pasture’ is any material being grazed by livestock, including annual and perennial pastures, forage crops, browse shrubs, dual purpose cereals and stubbles. Although the pasture base and range of options differ, the procedures to ensure productive pasture systems are basically the same for properties with crop/pasture rotations and those with permanent pastures.
Module 8 Turn Pasture into Product
In this module, your business objectives will guide your tactics and strategies for matching feed supply to animal demand, managing any consequences and exploring opportunities when feed supply does not match enterprise demand.
Sheep Production & Management
Module 9 Boost Business with Breeding
This module is designed to assist a commercial flock owner to capture the benefits that improved genetics offers the business.
Genetics sets the potential for critical traits that drive profitability in sheep enterprises. Flock genetics also determines the markets for wool and/or meat that might be targeted.
Module 10 Wean More Lambs
This module provides the framework and guidelines to set in place all the important management steps to improve flock reproduction rates and lamb survival to weaning. The AWI Lifetimewool project has demonstrated extra profits can be achieved by improved management of ewes.
Module 11 Healthy and Contented Sheep
The module will give you confidence that sheep parasites and diseases can be managed in a cost-effective manner to maximise enterprise profitability.
Pastoral Production
Module 12 Efficient Pastoral Production
Efficient Pastoral Production is designed to help pastoral sheep producers increase the productivity and profitability of their enterprise, as well as contribute to the personal satisfaction of operating a successful pastoral business.
