RamCompare

During the summer, we launched some new estimated breeding values (EBVs) for sheep farmers. To explain what these were and how useful they could be, we hit the road to talk to farmers about them at a series of workshops.

Farmers attending the workshops heard how careful ram selection can easily lift the value of lambs by £3–£5 a head, which would be worth an extra £1,000 over a ram’s working lifetime.

Assessing a ram’s genetic merit is key when looking to maximise profitability within the flock and accelerate growth from forage

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board is to make new breeding values for abattoir traits an integral part of the National Terminal Sire Evaluation through its Signet Breeding Services, following significant analysis of abattoir data. This new approach coincides with the release of the latest RamCompare results at a webinar on 11 May 2023 (book online).  

Catch up here - https://youtu.be/QW1OoJPK-_c

Join Signet Breeding Services for the annual results update from the RamCompare project’s UK progeny test, with updated results from the year seven data collection.

For the first time results will be released online as 38,500 abattoir records from 400 RamCompare sires are incorporated into the National Terminal Sire Evaluation. SRUC’s new breeding index will be launched as the project steps up a gear and makes abattoir derived breeding values more widely available.

Within our terminal sire breeding programmes we are often asked to put a commercial value on the genetic improvement we make in enhancing growth rate and conformation. While it is relatively easy to understand the value of increasing a lamb’s carcase weight, carcase conformation grade or changing fat classification, it is far harder to determine the impact of reducing days to slaughter.

We have had a busy summer collecting data from our nine commercial farms involved with RamCompare this season and it has been fun getting to know how our new farms operate as we have worked alongside them collecting 8-week weight and 12-week weight /ultrasound scanning data from their lambs. This season we are collecting data from over 5,600 lambs, from around 95 different sires. Mating plans have been confirmed and many rams now through the quarantine and being put out with ewes.  

RamCompare year six results have continued to show the correlation between Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) in terminal sires and commercial productivity in lambs.

Signet’s Shear Force research has also proven that the animal’s genes do influence tenderness and that measurements of tenderness can be used to produce breeding values.

RamCompare uses nominated performance-recorded rams from many breeds on commercial farms across the UK. RamCompare’s year six results demonstrate how rams with key breeding traits can optimise flock profitability. In four case studies flock profitability was enhanced by £1.98 to £5.17 per lamb; with some rams producing lambs that finished several weeks earlier than others.

The full results, which report the data collected and analysed from rams with the fastest growth rates, best conformation and most valuable progeny, will be presented in an industry webinar on 19 May, which is free to attend and open to all

The Antur flock of Texel sheep, owned by Aberystwyth University Farms, was one of the founder members of the Texel Sire Reference Scheme.  This scheme, started in 1990, introduced performance recording and genetic evaluation to improve growth rate and carcass quality, characteristics of major importance for commercial lamb producers. 

The fifth-year results from the RamCompare project reveal how rams with key breeding traits can drive productivity and optimise flock profitability and demonstrates how commercial producers can use specific estimated breeding values (EBVs) to identify rams with a high genetic potential and prove their worth when assessing financial impact.