The cattle industry has had the ability to pick cattle that fit each farm’s specialties using expected progeny differences (EPDs). The sheep industry has been looking into something similar for farmers and they’ve finally come up with “estimated breeding values” (EBVs).
University of Minnesota Extension Sheep Specialist Travis Hoffman compared the two. “From a cattle standpoint, it’s very similar. Just a few differences in terms of calculations, but what it does is it allows us as sheep producers to gather information about our operations so that we can make herd selections on primarily rams, but when it comes to keeping our replacement ewes as well,” he said.
Hoffman explained that there are a number of EBVs, but mostly when it comes to growth and carcass merit. “Some of the things that are important first-off and foremost is growth. We have a weaning weight, which should be approximately 60 to 80 days, and then there’s post-weaning weight as well. Those are two of the things that are important in terms of growth. Also, if people wanted to keep in consideration, there are EBVs or fleece weight, fiber diameter, and stable length in comparison for wool. Once we get past that, there’s not as many people that are particularly merchandising the wool at a high level here in this area and so some of the focus has been more on carcass merit,” Hoffman said.
“With that carcass merit, some of the things that we can also look at is backfat depth and loin-eye muscle depth. I work with producers as well, and we collect some of that carcass ultrasound so we have an idea of how much muscle there is there, how much fat there is, and can make some of those selections. One of the other things is from a maternal standpoint, we can look at the prolificacy, and even now, parasite resistance and egg count as well.”
EBVs are a new tool for sheep farmers, but as more and more data gets released, it’ll give producers the opportunity to make better purchasing decisions for their flocks. “The more information that we have before making our decisions on who to purchase rams from or which rams to purchase, allows us to make decisions that fit our goals. So if we have that information and it helps to fit our goals for our operation, whether that’s focused on growth, focused on muscle, focused on wool production. The other thing is we could also focus on some of the maternal traits,” Hoffman said.
He mentioned how even with the use of EBVs, forming a good relationship with the seedstock producer is very important. “You want to build a relationship with whoever you’re purchasing your seedstock from and identify how their goals fit and align with your operation so you can make great decisions and use the information that’s available to you. As producers and seedstock operators, we look forward to providing more information that helps each person do it just a little bit better each year,” Hoffman said.
He also said that farmers need to remember, using estimated breeding values is still in the starting stages, but more information will come to light as farmers collect and record data from the best sheep in their flocks.
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