The way we view genetics in our business is it has an influence on everything we
do. It's the reason why we produce a product, it's the foundation to what we
do. We're protein producers, licensed meat exporters, but primarily our passion and
our concern is our protein production. A lot of our decisions on our genetics are
based on what we want to produce and what our customer requires. Our beef
product goes onto grain, and they're probably … they're a heavier finished
product, they go onto it for a longer time, where our lambs are more targeted
at a domestic market.
Our kilograms per hectare - the performance of that's been outstanding.
We're very happy with the way that we've been able to achieve it. It's a
combination of genetics, the foundation we started with and what we've added to it
over time, but also understanding our country and the management of the herd.
So we try and keep our birth weights as low as possible - and on a self-replacing
herd, we always keep an eye on milk and make sure that's above breed average, and
then when we flick from that, we've ticked all of those boxes then we go to
what our clients want. So then we look at our 400 days, our 600 day
weights and our marbling for eating quality. And then also maintaining as high a
marbling score as you can in an EBV, so anything above 2.5, we'll consider.
Because our customers, especially in Japan, are after a 500kg
carcase with as high marbling is possible. Those two traits
don't really correlate, they work against each other. We try and balance it out as
well as we can.
Weaning weights increase, our actual weaning weights are actually
including the F1 program as well which are renowned for being a lesser
performer of kilograms per day so we started out with our figures looking at
just an Angus program, and then injected the Wagyu – 50% of the Wagyu program
into it. We've been able to maintain and actually increase those weaning weights.
In our heifers we run at on average around 92s our cows. You know it's
nothing for a cow herd here. We joined some Angus cows last year, one bull to
Wagyu 70 cows, missed one, so you know we're in the 90s solidly every time.
Our IMFs are on an upward trajectory, you know, our 600 day
weights, slaughter weights, all those sort of things are outperforming. The end
product we've seen over the last five years, or four years actually, we've seen
our AUS-MEAT scores go up over one whole score across the Angus program.
Everything's performance recorded and we're able to select out those higher
performing sheep, and then we go and select the rams that will complement
that on their breeding values. In our sheep program it's all about the breeding
program, being a self-replacing flock so we want longevity there - we want a
ewe that'll produce twins for as long as possible. You know in our sheep flock, the
fertility side of things, selecting rams with high numbers of lambs weaned, but
also what we've been doing with our sheep flock is also in the part of the
world where we are, like we’ll get snow every year. You know we'll get down to
-15 in winter; it's important we've selected rams with positive fat so
that the ewes, our genetic traits throughout that will throw that extra
fat in the animal. So in our breeding flock, through winter, they have that
ability to lay down more fat, which is almost carrying a lunchbox with them
through winter. In the sheep industry the eating quality hasn't been such a
big focus for quite some time. But I think that's something that we're on the
cusp of change, so if we can solve those challenges through genetics by
making that eating experience a little bit more enjoyable, then isn't that what
we're all about - selling more lamb? Getting more money for it at the end of
the day, if we can?
So our big gains in our sheep program are on kilograms of meat produced per
hectare. Right on the surface primarily would be focused on numbers of lambs
weaned. Now we've taken our lambing percentage from something
that was average to, you know, as a some flocks - some actual age groups over 200
per cent actually lambs marked. And it’s - what we utilise within that is the
selection of the rams to achieve that, on their - on their breeding values and
working closely with our seed stock producer. So the improvements that
we've enjoyed have been hard-earned through, you know, good management, smart
decisions and utilising the tools available to the highest degree that you
can.
Much to my staff's frustration, data is the one thing that I'm passionate about.
Because the more data you have, the higher the accuracy of your decision making.
So we use Practical Systems Stockbook program to record everything on our cattle. So every
time our cattle or our sheep come through the yards, we'll grab a weight or
a pregnancy or we’ll record everything that goes in them.
The use of genetics in our business, we see it having an influence in everything
that we do. Whether it's getting efficiencies from our individual
properties that run over different micro-ecosystems, the different pastures that
we use, you know genetics has an influence everywhere in our business. So
right from the production - right through to the feedlotters’ experience - right
through to the grass finishers experience - everyone in that supply chain is reliant
on those genetic decisions being the right ones for that business.