Sheep Industry News August 2023

Isaacs: There is really no need to feel overwhelmed by data. By taking it one step at a time and utilizing others in the industry to answer questions, the data can be simplified. As you develop benchmarks and a genetic improvement plan for your flock, the focus should be on overall production efficiency and profitability. This is different for every producer due to varying end goals, feed availability, markets, etc. Once you have identified traits of impor tance, create a system that works for you to collect the phenotypic data that has correlations or potential to improve your productivity and performance of your flock. For some, this might be utilizing devices such as management software and an animal handling system. For others, it might be Excel spreadsheets transcribed from barn notebooks from data that you are collecting. Just as different data management tools exist, so do genomic tools. Make sure to educate yourself on what genomic tool fits your opera tion’s needs. The power of the large genomic evaluations comes from the geneticists in our industry that can take data from 50,000 or more SNPs and create EBVs and indexes that the producer can utilize. Many NSIP seedstock producers find power in this tool as they generate G-EBVs. The smaller, targeted panel really focuses on single-marker traits, validating sire performance and parentage verification. COMPLETELY UPDATED Sheep Production Handbook Fully Searchable USB

I highly encourage each producer to establish a genetic improve ment plan or operation benchmarks to help to determine what tools are best to maximize your flock performance and profitability. SGUSA: With all the information available, it can be overwhelming at times to actually use some of this data. How can we avoid information overload? Burgett: Even though there are tons of Estimated Breeding Values and genomic markers available to everyone, most producers should pick just a handful of traits to put an emphasis on when they are making selection decisions. Those traits that are going to have the biggest impact on their flock’s profitability or where they need the most improvement. The key is having an efficient system to collect and analyze the data that is important to you. On farm or ranch, we need a way to track change and progress. We can collect all the data we want, but if we don’t actually use that data to make changes, then we are just spinning our wheels. I’ve seen some people join NSIP and use all the genomic tools merely as a marketing opportunity, but the producers that are most successful are those that actually use those tools to make a more profitable sheep flock. Just because a ram has EBVs or has been geno typed doesn’t make it better than another. That ram has to have the right EBVs for your flock in your management system. We’re committed to you. The rancher, the family and the flock. We partner with you to protect and nurture the American lamb industry so that together we can provide consumers a quality lamb product.

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August 2023 • Sheep Industry News • 17