RamCompare nominations open for 2024

RamCompare nominations are now open and we encourage you to consider putting your rams forward as new natural service rams or sell frozen semen for use in artificial insemination programmes for the 2024 mating season.

RamCompare, the national progeny test, supports terminal sire pedigree breeders that performance record their flocks within Signet providing evidence of how sires with high EBVs perform on commercial farms and has enabled the development of more accurate predictors for carcase value.

Complimenting the long-standing breeding values for Scan Weight, Muscle Depth and Fat Depth, we have a series of new breeding values which include Days to Slaughter, Carcase Weight, Conformation and Fat Class. Since the combined breed evaluation update last spring, these abattoir derived traits are published for all performance recorded rams. 

This analysis provides sound marketing information for pedigree breeders demonstrating an accurate and unbiased way to compare the genetic potential of different animals. Individual breeding traits can be used as evidence to reassure commercial ram buyers and clearly confirms the progress being achieved within the breed.

Due to the keen involvement of pedigree breeders supporting the RamCompare project we have tested over 468 terminal sires and collected data from birth to slaughter from over 44,000 of their progeny.

RamCompare provides a great shop window for the breed and it gives individual breeders a new way to promote their genetics. Please follow the links below for more information or to complete the online nomination forms, which are simple and quick to complete.

Natural service rams:

• The natural service sires should be shearlings or older and have a known, high health status
• We have no objection to using healthy, fit and fertile older stock rams and are happy to receive their nominations
• Ram Nominations Form 

AI sires: 

• AI is a fantastic way to create genetic linkage within flocks
• Frozen semen is purchased in batches of 30 doses  
• If available, consider nominating more than one batch of a particular sire as this is important for flock linkages
• Semen Nomination Form 

More information is also found on the Signet website RamCompare | Signet Breeding (signetdata.com)or contact Bridget Lloyd [email protected]

Farm recruitment – RamCompare collects data from birth to slaughter from commercial UK farms and are on the look-out for new farms to recruit who have 300+ ewes, use EID for flock data collection, run all commercial lambs as one management group and have a fast-finishing system. If you are interested in participating and would like further information please contact me directly.

 

Deadline for new nominations is Friday 17^th May 2024