Ram semen sale to Falklands Islands

Merino flocks to be used to drive lamb survival rates in one of the world’s harshest wool producing environments.

Australian rams with positive Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBV) for fat and muscle, and superior wool traits would be used in a breeding program with 4000 ewes that make up the Falklands Landholding Corporation ram breeding nucleus flock.

Superior rams from these mating programs would be used across the corporation’s ewe flock of 70,000 ewes to increase the current lamb survival rate at 60 per cent.

The Corporation’s general manager, Neil Judd, said sires with high fleece weights and growth rates had been used during the past decade, but little attention had been paid to hardiness and fertility.

He had scoured Australian studs unearthing a poll sire with high fat and muscle at Mumblebone stud operated by Chad and Louise Taylor.

“This ram would be among genetics to be introduced from a number of Australian Poll Merino studs specifically to improve hardiness and robustness through positive genetic fat and eye muscle on plain bodied, mid-micron polled Merino sheep,” Mr Judd said.

Mumblebone has supplied 1500 doses of semen from stud sire 120048, a double poll sire with ASBV figures of +1.2 millimetres for yearling fat and +2.2mm for yearling eye muscle depth.

Stud principal, Chad Taylor said the ram’s staple length and worm resistance, growth, clean fleece weight and overall conformation made him stand out.

"We have selected heavily for fat and muscle in the last eight years to improve the balance of traits offered in our Merino rams,'' Mr Taylor said.