GENETICS Not convinced about br Producers respond B efore breeding values I’m not convinced that using “What a good ram looks like is came along, producers breeding values will ultimately completely different to how he breeds. had no choice but to deliver me a net financial return. For example, it’s impossible to know pick sires purely on the “The most obvious payback is how his daughters milk, or how the basis of visual appraisal and gut being able to control important birth weights of his progeny compare instinct. The art of judging ‘a variables. For example, birth weightto the next ram. Personally, over the is directly related to live calves, 400years, we’ve made huge gains in good sire’ was generationally lambing percentage to ewes joined. passed on with an emphasis on and 600‑day growth figures are Without a selection program such as staying true to tradition. directly related to kilograms out theLAMBPLAN, that would be impossible gate. Explain to me how that’s noton such a lowly heritable trait. Rams Today, with scientific advances in a payback. Those are two major that I like are the ones that make the genetics and genomics, producers production gauges without taking most money for the least amount of can ‘see under the hood’ and selectinto account fertility and calving ease.”work, and LAMBPLAN identifies these sires that fit the bill phenotypically, butAndrew Carruthers, beef and primefor me.” Philip Gough, prime lamb also deliver profit‑driving traits suchlamb producer, NSW producer, Victoria as growth, fertility and calving andI’ve been buying rams/bulls for lambing ease. years. I know what a good ram/bull“That’s good. ASBVs are just another Here’s how some of Australia’s leadinglooks like. tool in the kit. You still need to know commercial producers respond to what a good ram is on the outside but commonly cited statements about “Phenotypically you might, but you do you know how he’ll perform on the genetic selection. don’t know what’s under the hood. inside and what (traits) he will pass Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs), on to his lambs?” Ricky Luhrs, Merino Australian Sheep Breeding Values sheep producer, Victoria (ASBVs) and genomics – all this data takes out risk and variability.” Andrew Carruthers, beef and prime lamb producer, NSW 14