Buyers look to data to help decisions
By Kellie Penfold Photo by Matthew Cawood
When woolgrower John Young went along last year to a ‘Nerstane Merino Stud’-hosted information day on how Sheep Genetics Australia (SGA) data can help commercial flocks, he realised the genetic parameters for the sire he needed to reach the goals for his flock were different to what he had assumed.
“If I had kept making decisions on what I thought was the right animal, rather than making decisions with the data available, I would have ended up on entirely the wrong track,” Mr Young says. “I need a large, upstanding Merino that performs well on the 3.5 per cent dual-purpose index – which is different from the type of sheep I would have needed if I was just 60 kilometres away in country better suited to that finer wool. It’s something I could have easily pursued without considering what performs best in our type of country.”
Having moved from Tasmania two years ago, John, with his father Lawrence and brother Paul, runs N L Young and Sons on the 2200-hectare ‘South Winscombe’ at Bundarra, between Armidale and Inverell in northern NSW. They purchased the property on a walk-in/walk-out basis, which meant inheriting sheep they were “not totally happy with”.
In Tasmania, they ran ewes for prime lamb production, so wool production was relatively new territory. John started his education by looking at the data available through Merino Superior Sires, wether and progeny trials and, in more recent times, SGA.
“Your dollars are in the progeny of the ram,” he says. “You can’t have the best-looking ram if the progeny are no good; the ram might not look that good, but the progeny are exactly what you need.”
The inherited flock, built up using farm-bred rams, was cutting an average of 3.5 kilograms of wool per head with an average micron of 17.1. The Youngs aim for 5kg/head of 18-micron wool, and run 8000 sheep, of which 3500 are joined ewes, 1100 are unjoined one-year-old ewes and the balance wethers.
“In just two years we can already see a dramatic difference in the lambs from rams we bought from ‘Nerstane’. They are a bigger sheep, and we just shore eight-month-old wether lambs and got $15 fleece per head, then sold them for $60 each. That’s $75 from an eight-month-old lamb.”
Before the ‘Nerstane’ ram sale, John works through the sale catalogue and any available data he has on the sires and makes a shortlist of rams that would suit his operation. He then inspects the shortlisted animals and examines their visual traits. “The decision is still about 50 per cent visuals – the animal has to look right for your type of country – but the genetics are what’s going to make the gain and get you to your goals much faster.”
Hamish McLaren of ‘Nerstane’ says John Young is a good example of the use of the data available to clients, with most still using a combination of that data, visuals, and advice from classers and agents.
The show circuit, sire evaluations, wether trials, information flocks: ‘Nerstane’ has always been quick to put its sheep up against the rest of the industry, and Mr McLaren says the value is also in indicating where you need to head genetically to reach the production goals.
“Often the best result from using these tools is being able to recognise when a genetic path is not worth pursuing – that the traits in that animal are too extreme and it’s easier to cull them then and there, rather than try to rectify it by bringing in other genetics,” Mr McLaren says.
But that use of figures, which includes a rigorous visual-traits scoring system they have refined for their own use, now stands them in good stead with clients such as the Youngs. Last year, they held a client information day before their ram sale, to explain SGA and the effect the data can have on commercial flocks.
“We thought it was very worthwhile,” says Mr McLaren, who runs the stud with his brother Jock and father John. “The clients really appreciated it: they realise it’s not rocket science and when you combine it with visual classing it’s a powerful tool.
“Once clients understand the data they can more confidently interpret the sale catalogue and ask for more information, such as conformation scores and comments on the rams that appeal to them. We have clients who rely more and more on the data.”
John McLaren says SGA has helped them identify elite sires for traits that help meet their breeding objectives while at the same time highlighting where ‘Nerstane’ is lacking. “Benchmarking yourself using SGA allows you to understand where you are in front and where you are behind,” he says. “It also allows you to follow the progeny of elite sires and see how they perform.”
More information: www.nerstane.com.au
Image: John Young of 'South Winscombe', NSW
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