THE Redesigning the Merino workshop at Jamestown Football Clubrooms and Oval on July 3 showcased how more in the industry were using objective measurement data to select rams that suited breeding goals.
Sponsored by the Hammat family, Baderloo Poll Merinos, Spalding, the program was attended by 47 enthusiasts.
Wool scientist Jim Watts and Ceva's Russ Davis were keynote speakers at the workshop where topics covered breeding advanced wools on plain-bodied Merinos, optimising genetic expression of rams, improving lamb survival and fertility, and improving genetic muscle and fat.
Ann and Daniel Hammat said their breeding and selection program was consistently achieving lamb weaning percentages of about 130 per cent.
They penned a selection of hogget rams with their Australian Sheep Breeding Values on display for participants to gain a better understanding of the figures.
They also penned a client's ewe hoggets with eight months' wool length, demonstrating how staple length selection with elite wools allows for two shearings a year on plainer-bodied sheep, improving management and increasing wool cut and fertility.
Dr Watts explained the profit-driving genetics behind the redesigned Merino types he had been working towards for the past four decades.
He said plainer-bodied, cleaner-pointed sheep had denser, finer and longer-pencilled staples of bolder crimping and sparkling white wool, growing out of loose soft skins that also produced better leather and skin value.
Mr Davis talked about fertility, the biggest profit-driver in sheep breeding. He pointed out key drivers for improvements as high-quality semen, environmental fitness and a high number of lambs weaned.
He said there was a 40 per cent loss in Australia between conception and weaning.
The southern Australian environment had many good management reasons for autumn lambing but spring mating was the best time of the year to achieve increased lambing.
But, by using Regulin, which affected melatonin production, the higher natural lambing percentages achieved in spring-lambing could be duplicated in autumn-lambing ewes.
