The Rural Voice, 2000-12, Page 12WEST WAWANOSH
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8 THE RURAL VOICE
Scrap Book
Year-round sheep breeding studied
Genetics could be the key in
helping Ontario's sheep farmers prod-
uce lamb all year round, says two
researchers seeking to solve the prob-
lem of seasonal breeding in sheep.
"If Ontario wants to compete
globally against Britain and New
Zealand in the fresh lamb market, we
have to be more intensive to be more
efficient," says Delma Kennedy, sheep
genetics specialist with OMAFRA.
Kennedy is working with Dr. Jane
Tosh, a research associate with the
Centre for Genetic Improvement of
Livestock to evaluate the potential of
sheep to breed year round. Their goal
is to make genetic evaluations of
sheep available to farmers to help
them select for animals with shorter
intervals between lambing, and for
those most capable of lambing outside
the traditional season.
The researchers are generating
numbers called Expected Progeny
Differences (EPDs) for those specific
reproductive traits in sheep that will
help lead to more a consistent supply
of lamb. EPDs are used to predict how
an animal's progeny will compare
genetically to an average animal for
certain traits. Currently the EPDs are
used by sheep producers to select for
those individuals in a flock that are
genetically superior for traits related to
meat production such as market
weight, rate of gain and ultrasonic
measurements of loin fat cover and
muscle depth. At this time, however,
EPDs are not available to help
producers identify animals with
shorter lambing intervals or animals
that breed outside the spring breeding
season. "We're now looking for other
characteristics that are more difficult
to genetically evaluate, such as those
ewe traits that could lead to the year-
round supply of lamb," said Tosh.
The problem is tough to tackle.
Both genetic and environmental
factors can greater influence
reproductive traits in all species,
including sheep. To determine
whether EPDs can be generated for
these traits, the researchers must
determine the role of genetics.
Kennedy and Tosh are analyzing
data from a private flock of over 400
Rideau-Arcott ewes near Grand
Valley. Meticulous records have been
kept on these animals. Mathematical
models, which take into consideration
the genetic and environmental factors
that may influence when and how
often a ewe lambs. This study will
help the researchers separate genetic
and environmental factors and look at
how genetics alone, influences these
reproductive traits.
Though a farmer might see only a
10 per cent boost in the number of
lambs born, in a flock of 300-400 ewes,
the profit potential is substantial.0
— Source: Centre for Genetic
Improvement in Livestock
Revolutionary harvester still has bugs
Mechanical problems with the new McLeod Harvester limited the amount of
grain it threshed to only 300 acres in it's trial on a 5,000 -acre Saskatchewan farm
this fall. Still, the farmer who tried the new harvester is optimistic that Manitoba
inventor Bob McLeod is on the right track with his two-stage system.
The McLeod Harvester, currently costing $185,000, breaks the harvesting
process in two. The harvester in the field collects the heads of the grain and
leaves only the straw in the field. The harvested portion, called "graft' is then
trucked to the farmyard and processed through a separate grain mill. It's
estimated the system will save the two to three per cent of the grain that goes
through the combine in a normal harvesting operation.
The mill uses a stationary thresher based on a New Holland TR99 combine
rotor and shoe. It blows chaff and screenings through a pipe into a pile which is
about three times as big as the grain collected. This residue can be fed to cattle as
feed. The system also removes weed seeds from the field which some studies
have shown reduces the need to herbicides.
McLeod says the system costs less to operate and can run on a smaller power
unit. The mill operates on a 400 amp., single phase electric motor.
— Source: Western Producer