Importance of ram selection on show at Temora
THE impact of ram selection on wool, carcass and fertility traits will be under the spotlight at the Merino Lifetime Productivity Project field day next month.
THE impact of ram selection on wool, carcass and fertility traits will be under the spotlight at the Merino Lifetime Productivity Project field day next month.
MerinoLink will host the field day on March 15 at The Vale, Temora, NSW, showcasing the latest visual and objective assessment data for the project’s 2016 and 2017-drop ewe progeny, and an add-on project incorporating the 2018-drop F2 progeny.
MerinoLink project manager and technical advisor Sally Martin said the project was still in its infancy, but the field day would provide an opportunity to inspect the progress. The 22-month-old 2017-drop ewes will be displayed in their sire groups, with pen cards carrying raw data and adjusted sire means on yearling and hogget liveweight, greasy and clean fleece weight, micron, staple length and strength, fat and eye muscle depth.
Flock Breeding Values and the Australian Merino Sire Evaluation Association Index will also be provided.
The ewes were fat and eye muscle scanned for the second time prior to joining in December and the pregnancy scan results will be displayed.
The 2016-drop ewes will be drafted into three 2018 lambing production groups, moving away from focusing on the sire group towards ewe productivity.