I was speaking to a somewhat anxious farmer over the weekend who’d let his ewes off to his rams.

After a few weeks of flushing, a dose of minerals and even the services of a vasectomised teaser ram, the sheep farmer was hoping for sparks to fly rather quickly between the ewes and his ram team.

While one pair of rams had tipped several ewes between them, a third ram working in isolation had only but the one covered.

“If he doesn’t get going now soon, I’ll have to go buying a substitute,” the farmer said.

While normally in agreement with such a decision, I was taken aback to learn that the ram had only been with the ewes a little shy of 24 hours. I’m all for breeding efficient stock but in fairness, a day’s work for one, can be very different for another.