Falklands Landholdings Corporation staff Andy Pollard, Steven Dickson, Keith Alazia and Gilbert Castro inspect rams with Chad Taylor, (middle) at his Mumblebone stud, Wellington, NSW.
Falkland Islands sheep producers are seeking to invest in around $125,000 worth of Australian polled Merino semen in a bid to drive lamb survival rates.
Semen from Australian rams with positive Australian Sheep Breeding Values for fat and muscle, and superior wool traits, were used last year in two AI programs over 4000 Merino ewes making up Falklands Landholdings Corporation’s ram breeding nucleus.
Superior rams from the program will eventually be used across the corporation’s ewe flock of 60,000 to boost the lamb survival average of 60-70 per cent.
Falkland Landholding Corporation general manager Andy Pollard, and three farm managers, spent three weeks scouring Australian studs for proven and young poll sires with high fat and muscle ASBVs.
The Corporation has used sires over the last decade with high fleece weights and growth rates but little attention had been paid to hardiness and fertility.
Lambing percentages of 60-70 per cent are normal with young ewes generally not being mated until they are two and a half years of age.
Newborn lambs struggle to gain the necessary body condition and liveweight to satisfy tight meat industry specifications in one of the world’s harshest climates.
Falklands Landholdings Corporation manages around 300,000 hectares, typically shearing 150,000 sheep and supplying 20,000 yearling lambs and mutton to the local European Union approved meat works.
The island’s short summer growing season and extended cold period from late mid-autumn to late spring affects sheep liveweight and body condition.
Mr Pollard said the Corporation was keen to improve sheep reproductive performance and lamb growth/finishing while steadily continuing to lift wool traits.
Despite conception rates of more than 90 per cent, lamb marking rates are 60-70 per cent and considerable losses also occur between weaning and shearing.
Mr Pollard said improved hardiness was sought through positive genetic fat and eye muscle on a plain bodied, mid micron polled Merino sheep.
He said objective data was being collected at weaning and shearing however fat and muscle was unable to be measured in the Falklands.
A second lamb drop was due in October-November following an AI program in April-May using Australian semen across 4500 Merino ewes averaging 25 micron.
“We are (in Australia) looking at animals on-farm with a view to purchasing further semen for the projects,’’ Mr Pollard said.
“We do want to improve the wool productivity traits with the five year plant to get down to 22-23 micron but are mainly concentrating on early growth rate, fat and muscle.
“It will be a substantial program that will probably see us purchasing $125,000 of Australian semen.’’
Mr Pollard said Mumblebone Merinos had been identified as one of a small number of progressive Australian studs working on these traits.
Last year, Mumblebone supplied 1500 doses of semen from double poll sire 120048.
Mumblebone principal Chad Taylor said the ram’s staple length and worm resistance, growth, clean fleece weight and overall conformation made him a stand out sire.
The first progeny of 120048 recorded the heaviest liveweights at weaning in one of the Falkland Islands flocks.
He said the Falkland Islands producers had a good understanding of how muscle and fat drove conception rates and lamb survival.
“They are now looking for new families and superior genetics to make improvements to their ram breeding program,’’ he said.
“They had a good balance of traits in mind with a focus on fat and muscle in conjunction with good growth rates and wool quality.’’
Mr Taylor said young sires with ASBVs in the top five per cent of muscle and fat, growth rates in the top 20 per cent of the industry, and above average fleece weights, caught the visiting group’s eye.
“The challenge of raising sheep in the Falkland’s under extreme winters really highlights benefits of muscle and fat as these are the traits that lift condition score,’’ Mr Taylor said.
“In Australia, those environmental challenges may come in the form of extended droughts or periods of poor nutrition, but it’s these periods of challenge that raise the benefits for breeding sheep wit the in-built ability to maintain their condition.
“It was the science that brought the Falkland Islands producers to Australia, and the studs they are visiting are well down the path of incorporating that science in their breeding programs.’’
