Farm Table says:
Craig Wilson & Associates convenes the Peter Westblade Memorial Merino Challenge. It is Australia’s largest commercial evaluation of Merino genetics.
It is a two-year genetic evaluation measuring wool, meat and growth traits of individual Merino wethers. Over the two years, more than 60,000 individual records are collected.
The challenge comprises of two components:
Wool challenge
- 50 teams of 15 wether lambs
- The wool challenge report will come later in 2018. Refer to the website for past reports.
Meat challenge
- 50 teams of 15 wether lambs
Over 20,00 individual records are collected to measure commercially relevant growth and carcase traits. Traits measured included:
- Body weights
- Final body weight
- Dressing percentage
- Age
- Carcase weight
- Fat depth at GR
- Eye muscle depth
- Fat
- Skin wrinkle
Bloodlines included:
- Pastora
- Leachim
- Hazeldean
- Kenilworth
- Pooginook
- Centre Plus
- Willandra
- Tupra
Key results of the 2016 meat challenge include:
- Economic variation between teams for carcase value was 43% between the top and bottom teams.
- Growth rates averaged 118grams/head/day adjusted for age, the variation of individual lamb growth rate ranged up to 292grams/head/day.
- The growth rates were slightly lower in 2016 compared to previous years (2010, 2012 and 2014).
- The average final body weight was 52.7kg and 47.3kg for the Autumn and Winter/Spring drops respectively.
- The weather lambs average dressing percentage was 46.6% with an average carcase weight of 23.4kg.
- Very high correlation between carcase value, carcase weight and start weight, and a high correlation between carcass value, body length and dressing percentage.
The results of the study provide information to entrants and the wider industry.
