New indexes, reproduction and condition score added to Sheep Genetics Flock Profile

Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) Sheep Genetics team has announced a new update to Flock Profile at LambEx in Adelaide.

In September, the highly popular Flock Profile, used by Merino producers to benchmark the genetic merit of their flock, will be updated to include additional traits of Weaning Rate and Condition Score as well as new MERINOSELECT Indexes.

The new MERINOSELECT Indexes were released earlier this year. They are: Fine Wool (FW), Wool Production (WP), Sustainable Merino (SM) and Merino Lamb (ML). These indexes are modelled to represent common production systems in Australia and help drive genetic gain in the Merino industry.

Weaning Rate (WR) describes the genetic difference between animals for the number of lambs weaned per ewe joined. A ram with a higher Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) ASBV for WR will produce daughters that wean more lambs.

Condition Score (CS) describes the genetic difference between the condition of ewes at joining. It is expressed in the same units as the Lifetime Ewe Management (LTEM) condition scoring guidelines. A ram with a higher ASBV for CS will produce ewe lambs that have a higher condition score at weaning.

According to the Manager of Sheep Genetics at MLA, Peta Bradley, the updates enable commercial merino producers to access a comprehensive snapshot of their genetic merit for key production, health and welfare traits.

“Flock Profile is a cutting-edge tool allowing commercial Merino flocks to benchmark their genetic performance relative to industry via Australian Sheep Breeding Values and indexes,” Ms Bradley said.

“Flock Profile uses the information from 20 randomly genotyped animals from a current drop of ewes, providing an accurate snapshot of a flock's genetic merit.

“Currently, Flock Profile benchmarks key production traits including industry indexes, fleece quality, growth, carcase and health and welfare.

“Developed by the leading research scientists at the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU) based at the University of New England (UNE), these updates will give sheep producers a much more thorough interpretation into how their flock fares against the broader industry for these important traits and indexes.”