Value for money with hands-on ram selection

Commercial sheep breeders have been invited to attend free hands-on RamSelect workshops to refine their ram selection skills and ensure they are getting value from sires they purchase.

In conjunction with the Cooperative Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation (Sheep CRC), NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is running workshops across NSW to give producers more confidence in finding the right ram for their wool, meat and dual-purpose flocks.

NSW DPI sheep breeding specialist, Allan Casey, said the choice of ram impacts on flock performance for many years.

“Producers need to get it right and be confident in their purchases - ram buyers have a very challenging job as their decisions influence the genetic gain and profitability of the flock,” Mr Casey said.

“The one-day RamSelect workshop aims to make those decisions a lot easier and help ensure producers are selecting the best rams for their flock breeding objectives.

“It gives producers the know-how to set a price for the standard of ram they want at a sale.

“We are not suggesting producers select a particular type of ram - an important part of the workshop helps producers define their flock objective and provides the skills they need to select rams which meet that objective.”

Mr Casey said breeders needed to be confident in using the measured performance information and combine that with their visual assessment of the rams.

“New formats for performance information, Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) which capture the best estimate of how a ram’s progeny will perform for a particular trait and updated indexes are being made available by ram breeders,” he said.

“RamSelect gives producers the opportunity to gain a better understanding of how to use performance indexes in their selection process.”

2012 RamSelect workshops:

• Temora, July 3
• Barellan, July 31
• Burrumbuttock, August 1
• Walla Walla, August 3
• Gilgandra, August 7
• Armatree, August 10
• Parkes/Condobolin, August 15
• Parkes/Condobolin, August 16
• Tottenham, August 17
• Young, August 21
• Forbes, September 5
• Wellington, September 21

In addition to these confirmed workshops, ram breeders, individuals and groups, have the opportunity to host a workshop and invite their neighbours, clients and prospective clients.

Producers who would like to host or attend a RamSelect workshop can contact ram.select@dpi.nsw.gov.au or NSW DPI Advanced Breeding Services project officer, Jac Staines (02) 6391 3901.

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