RamSelect: confident ram selection and purchase
Buying rams is an investment into your business, and one of the biggest challenges a sheep producer faces each year.
Next week’s SIBI-funded RamSelect workshops aim to increase your confidence in ram selection and purchase through utilising Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) to assist you in buying the right genes for your sheep business.
This ASBV data removes the environmental effects from the equation and enables ram buyers to confidently estimate how a ram’s progeny will perform. By using ASBVs along with visual assessment of rams, purchasers can make educated decisions about the investment they are about to make.
Sheep Genetics Development Officer, Melanie Dowling, said “The performance of a ram’s progeny can’t accurately or consistently be estimated just by looking at a ram and considering its raw production figures.”
“Having additional tools on hand such as breeding values can make that decision easier, and more accurate.”
“RamSelect workshops are very hands-on, with practical advice that can help commercial producers, stock agents and many others advance their skills in ram selection using ASBVs.”
SIBI is running workshops next Tuesday 25 July (Merinos) and Wednesday 26 July (poll dorset), both from 9am-4pm at Willemenup Poll Merino Stud & Curlew Creek Poll Dorset Stud, 447 Xmas Road, Gnowangerup. The cost is $50 per participant. To register, please view the main RamSelect webpage.
The workshops demonstrate how to use figures from MERINOSELECT and LAMBPLAN in conjunction with visual cues to help select rams that will breed the best progeny for your business.
Melanie is also available to run ASBV refresher workshops for stud clients in the lead up to ram field day season.
For further information on these workshops, email melanie.dowling@agric.wa.gov.au. Read more about Melanie below in the staff profile article.