Research & Development
It takes 9 years for the genetics of a top ram to establish through your flock. As a supplier of genetics we have to be making decisions on potential future markets at least 10 years before that market is able to offer substantial rewards.
Our continual selection for worm resistance since 1989, and for increased meat yield since 1992 has proved extremely successful. Now our focus is on multi disease resistance, survival and low input farming, which we believe will offer opportunities to other farmers in the future.
Running a large organic stud gives us more opportunity to test sheep under the toughest conditions animals can be exposed to.
Key Research Areas
We are currently focused on the following key areas:
- low input genetics
- worm resistance
- facial eczema
- grass staggers
- lice
- flystrike
- survival
- DNA recording
Worm resistance
The benefits of selecting for worm resistance have been known for over a decade but have only recently been promoted in the print media. Selection for worm resistance does in fact give resistance to a range of associated diseases .We have in reality been selecting for multi disease resistance over the last 15 years that we been doing our resistance work.
Facial Eczema (FE)
The positive correlation between worm resistance, facial eczema and grass staggers was first released in a 1996 Proceedings of NZ Society of Animal Production paper.
This multi disease correlation is now being recorded at Avalon Genetics using the Ramguard programme on our progeny tested ram hoggets. In our second year we have given our Perendale Rams the equivalent of a year five dose 0.18mg/kg. 83% of these rams representing 14 different sires showed high levels of tolerance. Currently sires receive a 0.25mg/kg dose to test their tolerance to FE.
Grass Staggers
Since we have introduced worm resistance into our selection policy, we have had no clinical signs of grass staggers. We still have the 40 year plus pastures which caused sheep to fall over, during dry summer and autumn periods.
Survival
In the early stages of running worm resistant sheep we were able to compare resistant versus susceptible sheep’s performance.
While scanning percentages were similar over a four year period the resistant lines tailed an average of 9% more lambs.
The survival factor of the resistant line ranged from 7% in a mild lambing to 14% in a very cold lambing year.
Selection of sires and ewes with high survival genetics will continue to be a priority.
Lice
Currently we are doing own research on the internal v’s external parasite correlation which is already been proven in Australia using Merinos.
Organic ewe hoggets are side sampled and their wool samples are measured using the Elisa test, which ranks lice levels from 0-4.
With no dipping since 2000, we have a wide variation in lice levels in our sheep. We have sheep which under maximum challenge have very low levels of lice.
Flystrike
We believe there is a strong genetic component with flystrike.
Out of our organic stud 2ths in 2004, four out of five which suffered body strike from the Australian fly came from one sire. He has been culled!
If you continually treat your animals you never get the opportunity to pick the winners and the losers, because they are all protected!
Footrot
The addition of the Footrot Gene MarkerTest has allowed us to objectively measure all our progeny tested ram hoggets.
There is some evidence that resistant animals have more resistance to footrot. It is too early to say if this is the case with Avalon Perendales but the early signs are good.
Low Input Genetics
Most of the sheep genetics bred in New Zealand are raised on a minimum stress, maximum chemical and labour, input system.
In the future the market will continue to demand food with less chemical residues, high traceability and environment friendly farm systems.
The market will demand this, certainly not the farmer so we need to become market driven rather than production driven.
This is not a call to go organic. In fact conventional farmers have the most to gain using worm resistant genetics combined with a low chemical farm system.
DNA Recording
We are building up a DNA database starting with our 2004 born lambs. This enables us to offer our clients all the advantages that this technology offers, including the new developments as they come on-stream.