Maximising sheep flock margins through use of performance recorded rams and associated technologies will come under the spotlight at a joint British Texel Sheep Society and Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales) event on Friday 9 August.
The open afternoon, being hosted by Steve and Helen Smith's Pen Parc Texel flock at Pen Y Bryn Farm, Castle Caereinion, Welshpool, will include demonstrations of ultrasound scanning for muscle depth and back fat levels, as well as a butchery demonstration and EID discussion.
Host farmer Steve Smith says the event should help sheep farmers understand how to use EBVs more proactively when selecting stock rams and ensure they pick the right ram for their system.
"Ram selection is crucial to profitable lamb production and it is important that commercial producers do all they can pick the right rams for their flock. Performance recording is a valuable tool in that selection process as it allows buyers to understand more about the rams they are looking it and focus on the key traits they need, be that growth rate, muscling or fat cover."
Smith says the butchery demonstration planned for the event will also show how much better suited lambs with good conformation are to the retail trade and the increased value these lambs offer everyone in the supply chain. "Well finished, good conformation lambs offer increased killing out percentages and lower fat cover than many poorer lambs, offering greater quantities of saleable meat as well as less waste to dispose of."
British Texel Sheep Society chief executive says increasing demand for performance recorded tups from commercial flockmasters has driven further improvements in the Texel breed in recent years, with growth rate a key trait among the breed.
"Quick growth is essential to profitability in modern sheep production and Texel breeders have recognised this better than anyone. The massive improvements in growth and muscling being delivered by recorded Texel tups offer significant opportunities to commercial producers to cut their costs and improve margins. Crucially Texel breeders have focussed on improving growth, but haven't sacrificed carcass quality along the way with muscle depth continuing to improve too."
According to Signet breeding manager Sam Boon over the last two years the average index in the Texel breed has increased by more than 20, which indicates an increase in the average breeding potential of a Texel lamb of just over 1kg to 21 weeks old (the age at which performance recorded lambs are ultrasound scanned for muscle depth and back fat).
"This is clearly a massive improvement in a short space of time and one which can deliver very tangible benefits for commercial producers. Quicker growing lambs that finish sooner mean improved margins, both through lower intakes and also through more timely marketing."
"What makes this genetic gain in the last two years incredible, is that it is on the back of two decades of significant improvements in the breed, with the average breeding value for growth to 21 weeks of age over 5kg higher in 2010 than it was in 1992, adds Mr Boon.
HCC's Sion Aron Jones says farmers visiting the open afternoon will be able to see for themselves how performance recording can benefit their flocks. "Performance recording is a tremendous tool for ram selection and can help identify rams suited to particular farming systems far better than selection based solely on visual assessment.
There will also be a discussion on how EID can help in day to day flock management by a member of staff of the Technology, Agriculture and Greater Efficiencies (TAG) EID project. Much like performance recording EID is an increasingly useful tool in flock management and allows much more detailed information on flock performance to be gathered than traditional recording systems .
Early results from the TAG trial have shown how careful monitoring using EID has enabled farmers to improve carcass quality as well as reduce health issues and increase overall flock productivity.
TAG is a project delivered under the Supply Chain Efficiency Scheme funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
