Sire evaluation to test early selection

Australia’s largest sire evaluation displayed more than 1400 rising one and two-year-old Merino ewes into 50 different sire groups which was hosted by the Craig’s family property “Tuloona”, Harrow, last week, as part of the Elders Balmoral Sire Evaluation (EBSE) trial.

Logistics displaying the 50 pens were challenged by the increase in ewes included in the MLP project, which are preparing for their third of a total seven joinings.

For the next five years, this group of ewes will be annually tested for DNA, body weight, fleece, worm egg counts, carcase scanned, and will be extensively classed and visually scored.

“We are evaluating the difference of lifetime analysis of performance which is what this trial is excitingly about,” EBSE chairman Tom Silcock, The Mountain Dam, said.

“I think immature measurements will hijack the wool industry, and to some degree, perhaps has.

“This trial will give us a litmus test on early selection for fleece weight, micron, and other traits that are indicative of what the animal can do for its lifetime – the proof will be in the outcome of the MLP trial.”

There are five sites included in the Merino LPT across the country, including three NSW with New England trial near Armidale, MerinoLink site at Temora, the Macquarie trial at Trangie, as well as Pingelly site in Western Australia and Balmoral in Victoria’s Western District.

Throughout the project, 166 sires from across the country will be used and about 5000 F1 ewe progeny evaluated throughout their life.

The first progeny from 15 sires joined in the Pingelly trial will be on display on 4 April, following a recent joining which resulted in an estimated 73 per cent conception rate despite 150 millimetres of rain overnight prior to joining.

Mr Silcock said Australia’s world-first trial would evaluate the impact of selection at a young age and particularly if animals selected early retain performance throughout their life.

He said it would also indicate whether selection systems such as Australian Sheep Breeding Values, genomics, sheep classers, adequately reflect lifetime performance and commercial superiority.

“Lambs teeth is a measurement of when to market your stock but we are already seeing quite the genetic variation between sires when they cut their teeth, so we will find out whether or not that flows through to when their teeth fall out,” he said.  

“A lot of what we are doing is data collection.

“We are starting to see a bit of the results in the classing changes from last year, with what were the tops in the classes have dropped back and those that were average improving within one joining.”

The event also launched an inaugural classing workshop which helped 55 producers use a variety of selection systems, including ASBVs, visual selection and RamSelect, as tools to class stock.

Mr Silcock said there was breeding interest at the trial open day from producers who were swinging back to wool production, lured by outstanding wool prices.  

“We haven’t seen big ones swing back but if people can’t make a good livelihood in wool producing now, then they’re never going to,” he said.

“It is different to what it has ever been before - you’ll never get an oversupply.

“The predictions for the future are fantastic.”