THE Merino industry is continuing to make big genetic gains, according to Australian Merino Sire Evaluation Association executive officer Ben Swain, BCS Agribusiness Solutions, Gunnedah.
Mr Swain was among the speakers at a New England Merino sire evaluation field day at “Birrahlee”, Kentucky, last Friday, where about 50 woolgrowers gathered to hear the 2014 and 2015 progeny results from the benchmarking program.
The 2014-drop trial is about to be wrapped up and is due to be finished within the next month when the sheep are shorn and adult fleece weights recorded.
Mr Swain also presented the first year of results for the 2015 drop, which will be measured for another year.
The trial includes 14 sires from Balladri Poll, Centre Plus WA Poll, Cressbrook, Deeargee Poll, Grindon, Karori, Mumblebone, Nerstane, Petali Poll, Roseville Park, Trefusis, Winyar and Yalgoo Merino studs, with 60 ewes artificially inseminated to each ram.
Mr Swain said the primary target of the program was stud breeders looking to improve their genetics, as well as commercial producers breeding their own rams. It’s also been a good tool for commercial woolgrowers to determine the studs best suited to their operation.
“The sire evaluation program is an evaluation of the individual ram, not the stud, but you can certainly see what the stud's heading.
“Commercial producers can use it to get a benchmark on where studs are sitting and the direction individual studs are taking with their breeding programs.”
The New England sire evaluation program began 1989 and is the longest running program across the country.
Mr Swain said the results demonstrated the improvements made by the industry in the past 25 years.
“Merino producers, over a long history, have had terrific results in terms of genetic gains they've made,” Mr Swain said.
“When you look at the historical sires in the sire evaluation program, which are only 20 years old, they're generally smaller, cut less wool, they're bolder in the micron, a lot wrinklier, and they have a lot more worms.
“They're all the things that we've been trying to breed away from in the last 20 years and it shows that we've achieved all those aims and objectives.”
Mr Swain said profitability was what drove genetic gain, with producers looking to cut costs and improve on farm practices.
“If you look at reproduction and worm egg count (WEC), 20 years ago we weren't thinking about breeding for those things, but we've made significant gains in the last decade,” he said.
“Our sheep are not only bigger, but they're leaner with more muscle and lower WECs.”
