Optimising the ram investment

01-01-2010 | Not Specified

Landcorp geneticist Geoff Nicoll describes his role as being the best animal breeder's job in the world.

"No one else has the same level of resources in terms of animal population size and organisational support."

This is backed up by some pretty impressive figures. Landcorp's Genetics and Nutrition Unit has a pool of 36,000 animals across 14 flocks and herds with which to collect data.

His brief is short, but tough: To sustain genetic progress for economic gain across Landcorp's 1.5 million stock units.

His brief as a speaker at the Lochinver field day was also short, but thought-provoking.

"We chose the word investment deliberately, as we often talk about the purchase of rams as being a cost," he said. "In actual fact you are making an investment decision; you are laying out some money for quality sperm to use in your flock. That sperm has the genetics that you have selected to be the best suited for your animals.

"If you are going to make the most of that investment, you are going to have to utilise the rams much more effectively than has been done in the past."

One way of doing this is by increasing the ram ratios.

"We want to be aiming to increase the number of ewes to the ram to make the most of the genetics we have invested in," he said. He is convinced that a ratio of 1:120 should be considered as standard, even for those farmers with hill country. Those with easier country can be getting up to a ratio of 1:150 quite comfortably.

There is a proviso.

"Everyone has a ram paddock which they would hardly ever venture into. We have got to consider ram fitness and health," he said. He said this had to be taken into account well before mating, not the week of. "We have got to start taking better care of this investment."

The financial rewards from this investment should also be lucrative. "Based on a percentage of 130% lambing, and receiving $80 net per lamb, you could probably gross $80 for every extra ewe you put to the ram. That means that you could cover the purchase cost of the ram in its first year of use."

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