Longevity of Performance
THE National flock has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, with Merinos now typically much plainer, faster growing, more fertile, and cutting heavier fleeces of finer wool. As a result, Australian ewes now generate far more meat and wool income over their lifetimes, and the growing demand for well-bred young Merino ewe replacements has also contributed to higher purchase prices.
Woodyarrup Merino and Poll Merino stud principals Craig and Lachlan Dewar view well-bred Merinos as a real investment opportunity. But growers need to be selective when purchasing genetic packages to ensure a good return on their investment, with the longevity of dual-purpose performance a key consideration.
Woodyarrup Stud Technical consultant Paul Swan said it was becoming increasingly important for sheep producers to purchase genetics from studs who were dedicated to maximising the lifetime earning production of ewes in their breeding.
“When stud ewes pass longevity of performance down to the ram lambs, they, in turn, pass the trait to their daughters in commercial enterprises,” Dr Swan said.
“This gives growers more options to lift the standard of their flock by enabling them to cull ewe replacements more intensely and retain high-performing ewes for additional joining’s.
“Given tested maidens are now selling for well over $300 a head, commercial enterprises need to produce their own top-quality ewes for profitability and studs like Woodyarrup that can provide a genetic package to meet this objective.”
Breeding for the lifetime performance wasn’t just about breeding rams based on early lifetime data but also required studs to invest in recording the performance of stud ewes over their lifetimes, rather than culling them simply because they’d reached a certain age.
“Woodyarrup doesn’t cull stud breeding ewes based on their age because we want them to be having lambs and producing great quality wool when they are 6-8 years old,” Dr Swan said.
Woodyarrup doesn’t cull stud breeding ewes based on their age because we want them to be having lambs and producing great quality wool when they are 6-8 years old.
“Craig and Lachlan have been classing every sheep annually for many years and retaining older high-performing ewes, as it’s the only way to gather that data within the stud.
“While looking at the lifetime performance of every ewe and the longevity of their daughters is a huge investment in time, money and effort for Woodyarrup.
"It was once a long-term strategy that is now paying off for their clients.”
While most studs now used tools to aid selection, only a small percentage were real leaders in genetics with several decades of data under their belt to inform their decisions and back the performance of their rams.
“Due to the industry's structure, the majority of the genetic change to the national flock has been driven by a relatively small number of studs and outstanding sires and dams,” Dr Swan said.
“Woodyarrup are among the top Merino and Poll Merino Studs, having bred multiple national production leaders including 120175, 140149, 150329 and 171883, with each of these sires leaving his mark on the Australian flock.
“Craig and Lachlan have involved their rams in research trials to prove they are strong performers across many different environments and this data has also benefited the industry.
“But most importantly, they had the foresight all those years ago to start using genetic tools, invest in gathering data on their ewes as well as their rams and evaluate the information to improve their genetics, which is of huge value to their customers.”
If you are interested in securing leading genetics for your flock, contact Woodyarrup Merino and Poll Merino Stud Principal Craig on 0429 100 239. For more information visit our partner site: woodyarrup.com.au
