Debate over fat and muscle to be settled in sheep study, index review
Sheep farmers may soon make more money thanks to new research. Here’s what to expect as more breeders hone the wool and sheepmeat attributes of flocks.
A major woolgrower-funded trial has found stark differences between sire groups, in wool and carcass traits, and condition score, under identical management conditions for wethers.
And the early findings of the work are being analysed and will help inform more refined Merino production indexes, to be released next year.
It is also hoped the work will go some way towards settling industry debate over the benefits, or otherwise, of focusing on better fat and muscle cover in Merino breeding programs which has ramped up in recent years as more breeders have honed the dual purpose attributes of their sheep genetics.
And, as meat prices have lifted, and the industry has striven to improve lamb survivability and weaning percentages.
Australian Wool Innovation program manager Geoff Lindon said the genetic evaluation project started in 2018 and was being conducted by Murdoch University researchers.
The aim is to determine ways to improve current estimates of profitability per hectare by more accurately assessing feed intake and total stored body energy, rather than the blunt DSE rating. The project is making it clear that there is a large variation between sire groups for production traits and condition score; as well as vast differences in how much feed difference sheep ate when given the same opportunity.
By 2024 the project aims to have new methods to convert dollars-per-head assessments into dollars-per-hectare.
And starting next year, ram breeders and buyers will have a better understanding of feed use and output through refined MerinoSelect production indexes.
Mr Lindon said there “has been debate over fat and muscle for some time, so this work will help define the benefits of fat and muscle, but it is likely that it will also depend on your production system; maybe (it will be more relevant) for a dual purpose flock than a super fine one”.
“There will be differences and we have yet to work that through with the indexes and analysing the data,” he said.
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