Ovine Observer

Adoption of Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) in WA is on the rise

Melanie Dowling, DPIRD, Katanning, WA

Introduction

Genetic improvement is one of the fundamental tools that will enable Australian sheep producers to increase the productivity of their sheep enterprises.  The Australian sheep industry has made significant advances in developing and adopting objective measurement and genetic evaluation, however there is still progress to be made.

Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) are a necessary tool to determine which ram has the most appropriate genes to pass onto their progeny and in the longer term increase the rate of genetic gain not only for individual flocks but for the Australian sheep flock as a whole.

A 2011 report by the Sheep Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) entitled ‘Genetics training initiative: communication and skills development needs assessment’ concluded that the major barrier to adoption of ASBVs and related technology by the Australian sheep industry has been the lack of demand from commercial producers. 

This lack of demand is driven by a perceived lack of benefit in using ASBVs to select rams. The complexity of the technology and lack of clear market signals for ASBV-related traits are also major factors.

This is consistent with the barriers to adoption emphasised in a survey carried out in 2011 by the Sheep Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) and Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA), which were:

• ram buyers are not using ASBVs for buying decisions
• ASBVs are too confusing and too complex to understand and use
• breeders are not convinced ASBVs are a useful or accurate tool
• ASBVs are too costly and time consuming to measure.

With these barriers in mind, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD, formerly DAFWA) has hosted workshops demonstrating to producers how much value they can add to their business by adopting ASBVs in their ram selection decisions, and encouraging producers to demand these figures from their ram breeders. 

This article assesses the adoption by WA producers of ASBVs for buying rams between 2014 and 2017.

Results

Rams sold with ASBVs are increasing

The 2014 Western Australian sheep producer survey conducted by DAFWA and Sheep CRC revealed that half (49%) of all rams sold in Western Australia were sold with ASBVs (auction and private sales), with the majority of these being through auction, and that 36% of WA studs sold all of their rams with ASBVs. 

As reported in the Farm Weekly, a DPIRD analysis of rams sold at auction, showed that the percentage of rams sold with ASBVs is increasing each year, with the percentage rising by 12.7% (40.8% to 46%) between 2014 and 2017 (Table 1). 

Studs without ASBVs are decreasing

Across the same time period the percentage of studs not using ASBVs, and the percentage of rams sold by these studs, reduced each year. While the total number of studs selling at auction in 2017 has decreased by 14% from 2014, there has been a 10% increase in the number of rams sold at auction (Table 1).  The number of studs using ASBVs and selling rams at auction has remained consistent (115 studs in 2014, 116 studs in 2017) indicating that the fall in studs selling through auction are all non-ASBV studs.

Scope for improvement for Merino breeders using ASBVs

There has been an increase in the number of rams sold at auction with ASBVs for Merino, terminal and maternal rams between 2014 and 2017 (Table 2 and 3). The total number of Merino rams sold with ASBVs is higher than terminal/maternal rams although the proportion of rams sold with ASBVs is higher for terminal/maternal rams.

The proportion of Merino rams sold with ASBVs increased by 28.2% (22.7% to 29.1%) between 2014 and 2017 while for terminal/maternal breeds the increase was slightly less at 18.3% (60.8% to 71.9%). However, the overall proportion of Merino rams sold at auction with ASBVs (Table 2) is less than half of the terminal and maternal breeds (Table 3). 

Sheep Genetics membership

The number of studs active in Sheep Genetics has declined between 2014 and 2017. In 2017 there were 176 active WA members in Sheep Genetics although only 130 of these submitted data for that year (Table 4).  Of those flocks submitting data, 100 had rams sold at auction, leaving 30 stud flocks with ASBVs selling privately and/or breeding for themselves.

In comparison, in 2014 there were 182 active members in Sheep Genetics, with 142 submitting data and 27 studs selling privately and/or breeding for themselves.

While there has been a decline in the number of Sheep Genetics members the number of rams being sold with ASBVs has increased, with more rams now sold on a per member basis. 

Conclusion

The rise in proportion of rams sold with ASBVs demonstrates a steady increase in adoption of ASBVs in the WA sheep industry.  The Merino industry still has a long way to go in terms of adopting ASBVs and there is room for improvement in the terminal and maternal breeds however producers are increasingly seeking rams with ASBVs to improve and increase the rate of genetic gain of their flocks. 

The recent introduction of the DNA flock profiling tool which allows commercial producers to benchmark their flock with an average ASBV figure for the major production traits provides an excellent launching pad for producers wanting to start buying rams with ASBVs.

As EID technology and sheep handling equipment become more affordable and user friendly there is an excellent opportunity for studs to increase individual animal recording and move towards adopting the ASBVs that producers are seeking.