Sheep Industry News August 2023

Data Management for the American Sheep Producer

SHEEP GENETICS USA D igital technology has permeated every aspect of our mod ern lives. Almost everyone has a computer in their pocket, one more powerful than those used at NASA to put astro nauts on the moon. Pickups and tractors need more IT support and less mechanics turning wrenches if something breaks down and a se ries of satellites orbiting the planet can tell you within inches where those pieces of machinery are and exactly what they are doing. People can order almost anything by tapping on their cell phone a couple times and it magically appears at their door in mere hours after a whole host of logistics were figured instantaneously through technology and Artificial Intelligence. Admittedly, technology can be a real hassle at times and information-overload is real, however, there is true power and opportunity for sheep producers to improve productivity, increase labor efficiency and be more profitable by harnessing the power of data in their operations. Sheep Genetics USA recently sat down with Superior Farms Director of Producer Relations Karissa Isaacs and National Sheep Improvement Program Director Rusty Burgett to discuss strategies to advance the sheep industry through the power of data and tech nology implementation at the producer level. SGUSA: Most producers are aware that recordkeeping and data collection is important to their operation, but what is the main benefit to that effort of managing data? Burgett: The benefits are going to be different for each producer, based on what industry segment they are in, what type of operation they run and a whole host of factors. Using data for genetic selection decisions to advance the flock is just the tip of the iceberg. Utilizing production records, we can also evaluate our management systems to see what is working and what isn’t and that can help us to solve a ton of problems if we just look at the right data and analyze it in the right way. Isaacs: There seems to be a stigma around recordkeeping and data collection. No, the amount of phenotypic or genomic data you have on an animal does not determine its worth, but it can help you to make better management decisions. Whether or not you choose to keep detailed records of your flock, solely affects your bottom line. The main reason any producer should utilize records and data is to make your business progressive toward your operation standards. It should be based off your goals for your flock and your operation. It is important to set benchmarks around genetics, performance and

ultimately profitability.

SGUSA: Are there any additional benefits that might play a more pivotal role as we progress in the industry?

Burgett: As technologies advance and become more accessible, we can benefit in so many more ways. Our genomic tools – like Flock54 and the Ovine GGP 50K array – can now tell us if our flocks are susceptible to certain diseases. Research teams are finding some of those traits might be linked to overall immune response and are trying to develop tools to evaluate longevity, hardiness and climatic resilience. More basically, we can also use these tools for traceability, which is important for value added supply chains and if/when we have to deal with a disease issue. Isaacs: In the past five years, we have seen genomic technologies and data management software become more readily available to the sheep industry. The true value of these tools will be found as we continue to have more producers collecting phenotypic data and in turn utilizing genomic tools. With genomic tools – such as Flock54 or Ovine GGP 50K – they become more powerful as more animals with vast phenotypic data are tested. Genomic and phenotypic data are mutually beneficial as the phenotypic data can be analyzed to help researchers find correlations and relationships among traits. When new markers for genomic tools are discovered, they can then be validated with phenotypic data provided. The addition of carcass markers to the Flock54 panel this fall is a result of analyzing large accurate sets of data from the camera grading system at our harvest facility in Dixon, Calif., along with those lambs genotyping data from Flock54. SGUSA: The hot topic in genetic selection in recent years has been genomic evaluations that can generate thousands of data points from one sample. How can producers implement that vast amount of information from those tools into their flocks in a reasonable manner? Isaacs: From my perspective, a farm or ranch should not need to worry about the thousands of datapoints generated from a genomic evaluation. At the farm level, producers should build their focus around traits that will improve their production and performance of their animals. Be sure to engage with sheep geneticists and produc ers already utilizing genomic tools and reach out to Rusty or myself to talk through the reason you might want to utilize tools such as the Ovine GGP 50K array or Flock54 to benefit your flock.

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