Thoughts as we get into ram selling season.
It’s that time of year again, ram selling season! Time to check your ram power and work out your requirements for upcoming joinings. The selling season has started in most states, and whether you’re chasing merino, maternal or terminal sires, there are plenty to choose from.
It will be interesting to see how it all pans out this year, with a combination of lower sheep and wool prices, the season in most of the country being tough, and the government’s decision to ban live export all playing a big part in farming business decision making. With all that being said, genetics remain one of the biggest profit drivers within any sheep enterprise and the decisions made in ram purchasing this year will have flow on effects for many years to come.
Ram selection is a big investment, there is the upfront cost; but making the right decisions and ensuring that they contribute towards progressing your breeding goals will ensure that they provide a sound return on investment. In working towards that breeding goal (or objective) you need to have a clear understanding of where your flock is today, and where you want it to be in the next five to ten years. Importantly the breeding goal also needs to align with your key profit drivers and type of operation. This is where Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBV’s) can help to get to where you want to be in producing the type of animals that suit your operation. Additionally, doing a Flock Profile (testing around 20 animals from a recent drop) can tell you where your flock sits in relation to potential ram purchases and gives an indication of the contribution that new rams can make towards pursuing your breeding goals.
Structure and conformation of the animal is paramount to maximise the service and longevity of both the ram and progeny, and should always be looked at above ASBV data on the animal. Once the structure of the animal is correct, ASBV data can help to ensure that the animal will perform the way you want with traits that you cannot necessarily see on sale day.
Anyone can feed up a sale team to look big and round, but how would their progeny perform when not given the same attention? If part of your business involves turning wether lambs off early, for example, then a big ram in front of you could give the impression that his progeny will also be big, which they probably will, but how long will it take. or how much will it cost to get them there? This is where utilising ASBVs like Post-Weaning Weight (PWT) and Yearling Weight (YWT) can help with decision making. If you are joining a terminal ram over your flock, Birth Weight (BWT) may be important, especially if joining to a merino ewe flock. By using these traits, you are able to select sires that will assist in ease of lambing and then grow quickly.
ASBVs can also be useful if you are trying to cease mulesing in your flock through plaining up the breech area to prevent flystrike. Early Breech Wrinkle (EBWR) ASBV will indicate how plain the sire is and you can then work out if they are compatible for going non-mulesed. Another couple of important animal health and welfare traits to think about in certain areas when going non-mulesed are Worm Egg Count (WEC) and Late Dag (LDAG). Obviously with less worm burden and dag on your sheep, there is less attraction for flies.
And obviously, as this is a blog for WoolProducers Australia, there are plenty of traits for wool. A common thought when plaining up a merino flock to go non-mulesed, is the possibility of losing wool cut. This can happen due to the less surface area on the animal, but can be mitigated by considering the Staple Length (SL) and Clean Fleece Weight (CFW) or Greasy Fleece weight (GFW) traits when evaluating rams.
So why use ASBV’s when I know a good sheep when I see one you ask? There is no disputing people can pick a good sheep, they stand out in the mob, but is it the most profitable animal that will maximise return on your investment? A twin raised ram out of a maiden ewe will be phenotypically smaller than a single raised ram out of a four year old ewe, due to the difference in milk production and availability to the lamb. Does this mean that the smaller ram at the sale is not worth as much as the larger one? Before I make that decision, I would like to see the data behind both animals, because it’s possible that the smaller animal has a much higher genetic potential in terms of my breeding goal, which will produce progeny that will make a lot more return to me over the space of his and his progeny’s lifetime.
ASBV’s make it possible to compare two animals on the same playing field. It takes into account factors such as environmental conditions, birth and rear type and age of the dam to enable two animals to be compared fairly. This is done by extensive data collection on a range of traits across a flock, and then comparing this data across and against other flocks taking into consideration genetic linkages. Recent advancements in genomic testing of animals is adding to the accuracy of ASBVs when combined with raw on-farm performance data collected on various traits. As published in the Stock & Land, Thursday August 22, 2024, page 46 “Database milestone”,
“Meat & Livestock Australia’s Sheep Genetics program has hit a new milestone, with the latest MERINOSELECT analysis reaching 500,000 genotypes – making it the largest genomic evaluation of its type anywhere in the world.
MERINOSELECT is Australia’s genetic evaluation system for Merino producers.
It produces Australian Sheep Breeding Values that enable sheep producers to select animals accurately on their genetic merit.”
There will be people who do not believe in or understand the power of ASBV’s. Those that do use them successfully are generally able to maximise growth in their business. These producers would make up the vast bulk of the top 20% of producers in terms of Net profit per DSE, as referenced in the “Why stay in wool sheep?” report by John Francis, that was recently commissioned by AWI.
I am not trying to sell the concept of ASBV’s to you, but with profit margins becoming exceedingly tighter, they are definitely another tool in the kit bag, and all the hard work is done by the ram breeder, not you. It is worth a look into, if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it!
More information on the basics of ASBVs, including an introductory video can be found on the Sheep Genetics website.
Simon Riddle
Vice President
WoolProducers Australia
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About WoolProducers’ Australia
WoolProducers plays a critical role in working closely with companies and entities funded by woolgrower funds including compulsory levies or fees for service.
Its mission is to develop constructive and profitable outcomes for woolgrowers nationally.
The agency is responsible for appointing a director to each of the Australian Wool Exchange and the Australia Wool Testing Authority, promoting good corporate governance and ensuring that the interests of growers are met.
WoolProducers maintains a working relationship with Australian Wool Innovation as the voice of woolgrower shareholders. It aims to contribute to AWI’s programs for the benefit of growers, promoting responsible use of levy funds and ensuring good corporate governance.
WoolProducers is the sole wool industry member of Animal Health Australia, and as such, carries a significant responsibility for decision making on behalf of the industry in the event of an emergency animal disease outbreak.
As the only wool grower organisation with membership of the National Farmers’ Federation, WoolProducers is responsible for providing key policy advice on behalf of our members, and other wool growers, to Australia’s peak farm body.
WoolProducers also works closely with the Federal Government Departments on key issues such as animal health and welfare, biosecurity, pest management control, natural resource management, drought preparedness, emergency animal disease outbreak preparedness and industry development, including research, trade and logistics.
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