MEAT MERINOS:
THE QUAD-PURPOSE MERINO OF THE FUTURE:
HIGH QUALITY WOOL, MEAT, FERTILITY & CONSTITUTION

• Due to the power of the SRS® major gene effects, and after years of trials and development work on-farm and with other SRS® breeders, we at Severn Park know that we can have a Merino that not only has SRS® wool but also superior desired meat quality and carcase traits, along with enhanced growth, fertility and constitution.
  
  
• This developing sheep is a Merino for both the mutton trade and for finishing wether lambs into the prime-lamb trade, and for filling the new requirements of the maternal base for the prime-lamb industry.

I.E. WE CAN HAVE AN ANIMAL THAT IS MORE PROFITABLE THAN ANY OTHERS IN EITHER THE WOOL OR MEAT INDUSTRY, BECAUSE IT PRODUCES THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF BOTH.

This is the challenge in front of us, and is what Severn Park's new and ongoing developments are successfully beginning to achieve - evolving the QUAD-PURPOSE Merino of the future.

The New & Ongoing Market Fundamental

Time doesn't stand still. No industry today can anymore carry on 'traditionally' and remain the same. Markets and trends are shifting too fast for that. The Merino industry is no different.

Higher returns for mutton and prime lambs is the new and ongoing market fundamental in the sheep industry.

IS THIS MARKET SHIFT RELEVANT TO MERINO WOOL PRODUCERS?
Yes, and for the following reasons:

1. Mutton: carcase weights and yields, and doability, are important for the adult mutton trade - and are under genetic control.
   
   
2. Lambs: maturity rates, fat %, and meat quality traits and yields are fundamental to the new lamb industry - and are under genetic control. Increasing numbers of Merino lambs are filling this gap, and this can escalate in the future.
   
   
3. The Merino ewe still comprises the dominant maternal base of the prime-lamb industry. However, because they are realising genetics is so vital, processors are starting to link vertically through to genetics, and there is increasing dissatisfaction with the old style Merino ewe and its lack of both meat quality attributes and fertility aspects. Increasing numbers of switched-on prime lamb producers are starting to bypass the Merino maternal factor. This will impact on demand if we do not adapt the Merino.
   
   
4. Most pure Merino lambs still have a ribbed (tight pin-wrinkly) skin that is devalued by fellmongers and the skin trade. SRS® Merinos don't have this, nor the linked slower maturity factor.
   
   
5. As with wool, the new meat industry is highly geared to processor requirements. They are measuring important commercial traits that are under genetic control, and have their own system for this (Lambplan through the MLA). Severn Park has moved to both develop and incorporate the best genetics in the meat trait, fertility and constitution area and to utilise the relevant measurements and link with Lambplan.

IS THE NEW MEAT & LAMB MARKET HERE TO STAY?
Since 1997 Charlie Massy has spent time talking to people in the meat and lamb market, to processors, to lamb producers and to leading consultants. It is clear that the new meat and lamb market is no temporary trend, but instead is a deeper and more permanent development due to the depth of overseas markets in particular and a shortage of good sheep protein and of human protein in general.

OUR KEY CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY is to respond to this market challenge.
If the trend continues, more and more producers will turn to meat sheep and prime lambs. They will thus switch to inferior woolled maternal and paternal genetics to do so - because it appears more profitable. This will affect the wool clip and Merino restocker demand, and they will forgo the chance to make a lot of money from superior Merino wool.

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A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR SRS® BREEDERS

The SRS® major gene effects are a unique circuit-breaker because they allow us to combine (using ET and AI technologies) what have hitherto been seen as conflicting traits, so as to quickly develop a new sheep type with multiple attributes. This can only be done with major gene effects - and the SRS® gene interactions are the only ones known in the wool area. They allow us to re-write the rules, and this means the ability to carefully combine new traits without losing the old.

We have examined the other new sheep breed introductions, such as the Dohne and South African Mutton Merinos (SAMMS), and discussed these with processors. We believe they are inadequate compromises: not producing advanced wool fibres (and not in volume) on the one hand, and not offering superior enough meat processing and carcase quality on the other to compensate the wool regression. They are neither fish nor fowl.

However, with the SRS® breeding system and network, and through the use of major gene effects, we know that we can combine these multiple, high quality traits. We don't have to compromise!!

THE IMMEDIATE GOAL:

To develop a Merino that will deliver high-profit animals for the future meat and wool markets:

• with an advanced skin, carrying SRS® wool fibres;
• with the commercially desirable mutton and lamb meat quality traits, as well as early maturity and high fertility factors;
• in time, to carry disease resistance factors also.

Severn Park is DEFINITELY NOT changing its SRS® direction, but the reverse, as we are continuing the development and acceleration of this breeding approach. We see our role as one of the R&D arms of the industry: out in front, anticipating major market developments.

MEAT MERINOS & THE QUAD PURPOSE MERINO

The description 'dual purpose' is now inadequate. The most profitable, all round sheep of the future that Severn Park is moving towards, is a new type of Merino - the Quad Purpose Merino, combining 4 major factors:

An Advanced fibre-SRS® wool:

• High value, high volume, superior processing beautiful wools that are fleece-rot and dust resistant.
• The SRS® major gene effect drives this.
• SRS® lamb and mutton skins are non-ribbed (i.e. non tight pin wrinkly) and valuable to the skin trade.

High Quality, High Yielding Mutton and Lamb products:

• Early maturing Merinos, of high carcass value (both for lambs and mutton), through measurement and genetics increasing the yields, high value cuts and most desirable Eye Muscle Depth and fat %.
• By increasing eye-muscle depth we know we can enhance meat colour & palatability, along with disease resistance & staple strength (as they are linked).
• Merino ewe progeny to be highly desired as the maternal base for the fat lamb industry.
• The uncomplicated SRS® body is the ideal base to work off.
• This plain body means the elimination of mulseing - a process begun by Severn Park in 2005.
• Eye Muscle scanning reveals that both within the Severn Park flock and with outside genetic inputs, desirable meat quality traits can be quickly attained and combined with the SRS® skin and wool.

Fertility:

• Higher lambing and milking performance is fundamental.
• Weaning percentage is the key profit driver in the prime-lamb industry. The Merino industry must move this way and towards greater production per ha.
• The SRS® major gene effects and the 4-teater Australian Milking Merino major gene effect are linked, and thus positively empower each other.
• Severn Park has selected for decades on temperament and lambing performance, and so is set to build further.
• The uncomplicated SRS® body is linked to early maturity, heavier maiden and adult body weights, and thus to fertility.
• Severn Park's lambing long term is 115% in studs (has been up to 135%) - our aim is to lift this to 130-140% and weaning rates 2% less at worst.
• Severn Park working with other fertility / fecundity genes.

Disease Resistance and Constitution:

• This is a longer term goal, but a fundamental one. It is important, given the looming restrictions of options in drenching and fly treatments, and of the increasing incidence of drench resistance.
• Severn Park has always placed strong pressure on robust, well-sprung, hardy animals of quiet temperament. These are all indicators of sound constitution.
• Over and above normal constitutional selection pressure, Severn Park is involved in a project to identify gene markers linked to disease resistance and so to impose selection pressure on this.

HOW ARE WE WORKING TOWARDS THE QUAD PURPOSE MERINO, AND WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS?

Embryo Transfer and the presence of major gene effects, aligned with astute use of measurements, completely changes the ground rules in Merino breeding.

• Embryo Transfer (ET) means that, without devoting large proportions of the flock to development work, elite animals can be extrapolated quickly. Severn Park now has more than 30% of its annual progeny born from less than 30 ET ewes. This process is only accelerating. ET ewes can be flushed more than once a year - allowing development and mainstream work to be done with the same ewe in the same year.
• Major gene effects: these really change the ball game. Instead of 10 steps forward and 9 back as in the past, powerful genetic factors like the SRS® effect can be maintained whilst new and powerful genetic traits are added to them.
  Luckily the 4-teater Australian Milking Merino® trait for high milking and weaning is linked to the SRS® function. Major growth genes and high heritabilities for meat quality are being identified and introduced as well, as are fertility / fecundity genes.

INGREDIENTS IN THE SEVERN PARK MOVE TO A QUAD PURPOSE MERINO

We are using and developing tools within Severn Park and the SRS® system. These include:

1. Australian Meat Merino (AMM): Developed by Andrew Michael, Snowtown S.A., who has both a SRS® Merino stud but also is one of Australia's leading White Suffolk breeders.
2. American Rambouillet: Through privileged access to semen from leading sires and their SRS® derivatives, Severn Park has these now embedded their advantages. They give terrific growth, bone, body length and width, constitution, hardiness, eye muscle depth and leanness - and can be quickly converted to SRS®. Significantly, the Rambouillets are invaluable for their free, uncomplicated and thin skins - and are thus a powerful tool in unwinding tight skins & leading to the elimination of mulseing.
3. Australian Milking Merino: Developed by Andrew Dowling, of Keri Keri, Moulamein. These are 4-teated, high weaning, hardy SRS® sheep. They are proven in MLA trials in outperforming First-cross ewes in lamb weight gains to the same terminal sires. Severn Park has also identified a large nucleus of 4-teaters in our own stud flock.
4. Internal Severn Park sire lines and females: Particular sire and female lines and unique individuals that already carry genes for advanced meat quality and carcase value traits have been identified after scanning and measurement. These will also be utilised.

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SEVERN PARK JOINS THE MLA 'MERINO VALIDATION PROJECT'

This project is run by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), and is a Merino genetics research and development project involving collaborating Merino ram breeders throughout Australia and the MLA Merino Genetic Services (MGS).

This project aims to improve the processing quality and quantity of lamb and mutton from Merinos while maintaining or improving wool quality and quantity. By collecting extra growth, carcase and reproductive and disease information, the project aims to provide greater understanding of the genetic relationships among meat, wool, reproductive and disease resistant traits.

As a result, and because of Severn Park's extensive data bank, we are now in a position to use Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) on those traits where we consider this tool relevant, and to aid clients in selection decisions. EBVs can be relevant for commercial breeders wishing to take the risk out of breeding decisions. Rams can be selected on their genetic value as parents to the many progeny they will produce. i.e. Using knowledge of a ram's genetic potential so as to make less risky genetic business decisions.

The MGS which runs the 'Merino Validation Project' is managed by Dr. Alex Ball, with whom Severn Park is working closely. The Merino Validation Project currently involves 158 ram breeders nationally, progeny testing and measuring wool quality and quantity from their breeding nucleus. MLA initially funded the breeders, such as Severn Park, to scan their animals for fat and eye muscle depth and to take faecal egg count measurements as a measure of worm resistance. At the end of 3 years of the project Severn Park was able to benchmark its performance against 158 studs across Australia.

SEVERN PARK ACHIEVES OUTSTANDING MLA MERINO VALIDATION PROJECT RESULT

• The exceptional results came in combined fleece, multi-purpose and fertility traits that are all commercially important and measurable.
• Severn Park is now bench-marked across leading studs in Australia.
• The MLA-MVP analysis involves 158 Merino studs across Australia, combining in 2004 to compare over 30,000 male peers.
• Out of this 30,000 in the top 50 animals for key ebv traits Severn Park results in the Spring 2004 analysis were:

1. YWT (yearling weight): 8 in the top 10 (includes 1st to 4th), and 21 in top 50.
2. YEMD (yearling eye muscle depth): 8 in the top 50.
3. NLW (nett lambs weaned): 5 in the top 50.
4. HFD (hogget fibre diameter): 5 in the top 50, including 1st and 8th.

• To give an idea of the impact of this, MLA uses percentile band tables so growers can compare animals across the industry and assess their significance. In YWT, for example the top 50% of animals have ebv growth rates of 0.2kg and better; the top 25% have -1.5kgs; the top 10% +2.7kgs, and the top 1% have +5.3kgs. The entire Severn Park Meat Merino sale team of 42 rams averages +6.1kgs and ranges up to +10kgs.
• Comparison to Breed Average: Below is a series of 9 graphs is the MLA analysis relating Severn Park to the industry average. It can be seen in all areas Severn Park is above industry performance. (Please note: the analysis on hogget fibre diameter includes meat Merino infusions, which disguises the SRS® trend that is softer and finer.)

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WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN FOR SEVERN PARK'S GENETIC SALES FROM 2005?

• Increased offering in depth of SRS® Merinos, but an additional offering of measured, meat-merinos.
• On Property Ram Sale: Will include in 2005:
  # 180 SRS® Merinos & poll merinos - objectively measured;
  # 40 Meat Merinos - objectively measured plus with additional meat measurements for Eye Muscle Depth, fat depth and growth rate and NLW (net lambs weaned).
• Private Offerings Post sale etc. as per previous section.

Remember, our main game is still this beautiful wool fibre and lots of it - a quad purpose Merino simply increases market options and profitability. Is 12 kgs of 14 micron wool, growing 100 mm every 6 months, and necessitating shearing twice a year, possible? Yes, definitely achievable!!! (photo per The SRS Company)

NO MULSEING

Also achievable, on plain SRS® bodies, is the elimination of mulseing. Severn Park has begun this at the 2005 lamb rearing.