JOANNA Newton didn’t have a great deal of experience with sheep before she hit her teens – but now in her mid-20s she is working on a research project that could change the entire industry.
Miss Newton is continuing her studies after completing a Bachelor of Rural Science at the University of New England (UNE), Armidale.
She is now focused on completing her PhD, focusing on genetic and environmental influences on yearling lamb performance.
“(I have found) more breeders are looking at joining their ewes at earlier ages,” she said.
“Ewe lamb reproductive performance is classified as a different trait to mature ewe reproductive performance – they are correlated but not identical.”
If producers only have to feed their ewe lambs for a year before it lambs, production could be improved through a more rapid genetic gain in all production traits, increased turnover of ewes and the opportunity to sell off older, still-joinable ewes earlier, Miss Newton said.
Miss Newton has been working with the Super Border Group as well as other leading breeders with advisors from the UNE Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit and CSIRO to collect data and recruit producers through speaking at conferences and workshops.
“We set a target of 4000 ewe lambs to be joined in 2013 and lamb in 2014, and we wound up with almost double – I’ve been blown away with the response.”
Using flocks registered with Sheep Genetics Australia and using BreedSelect and Lambplan programs, her research uses flocks from 27 producers from all the southern States – a spread across environments and breeds.
“I think producer numbers might come back a bit because of drought but having such a phenomenal response in the first place means this shouldn’t be too detrimental (to my research).”
Miss Newton said the results of her reserach were due to be finalised by the end of 2014.
Rebecca Sharpe
Journalist for The Land at Dubbo.
Journalist for The Land at Dubbo.
