10 | Science, methodology key for breeders Karen Phelps RURAL PEOPLE » ALLIN Solutions “What sets us apart in the breeding space is that we have a really scientific approach and methodology. We use the latest technology, for example full genomics on all our lambs are done using the 60K SNP.” ALLIN Solutions is holding its first on-farm Waipuna Maternal and Waipuna Terminal ram sale in November. It marks the on-going transition of the Waipuna stud to Dr Danitsja (Dani) van der Linden and partner David (better known as Norm) Alderson. The couple work in conjunction with Donald and Liz Polson, the founders of the stud, with the Polson’s breeding Waipuna Maternal - Highlander genetics and Waipuna Terminal rams on their farm on the hard hills of Waipuna in the Mangamahu Valley north of Whanganui. Moving forward Norm and Dani will be farming the Waipuna Maternal rams at Cheltenham after weaning, where the rams will undergo an extensive measurement programme and get ready for sale in March as hoggets and November as two tooths. The Waipuna Terminal rams will still be sold from Waipuna Farms as a hogget and the two tooth rams will be sold at Norm and Dani’s farm in Cheltenham. Waipuna Maternal stud comprises approximately 1200-mixed age and two tooth ewes and 900 ewe hoggets.. Each year the flock produces around 900 ram lambs. This year around 110 terminal two tooth rams and 400 maternal two tooth rams will be for sale. Dani, a qualified geneticist, has been in charge of the Waipuna breeding programme for the past decade, running two separate breeding programmes: Waipuna Terminal and Waipuna Maternal – Highlander genetics. “What sets us apart in the breeding space is that we have a really scientific approach and methodology,” she says. “We use the latest technology, for example full genomics on all our lambs are done using the 60K SNP. We use Animate to help with mate selection to optimise genetic gain and minimise in-breeding and Tararua Breeding Services for AI and semen collection of rams to ensure we have good linkage with other breeders in the industry.” She says with many factors to take into consideration, missing one can throw off the data, which is why Waipuna takes such a detailed approach. As an example of Waipuna’s best practice for recording, the couple ensure they test enough progeny per sire line for each trait. In terms of facial eczema, they test 80 ram hoggets each year - five per sire line comprising about 16 sires. With an eye to the future Waipuna is also tracking novel future traits such as measuring for methane and skin thickness for lamb survival. But Dani and Norm say this still ties in with the stud’s overall breeding objective: to breed a sheep that’s low touch, resilient and highly productive. “Our end game is to produce a profitable sheep that’s very efficient at turning grass into meat,” stresses Norm. Dani says that a Waipuna Terminal is a highly productive and proven terminal, which focuses on growth, meat yield, lamb survival and eating quality. “For a farmer using Waipuna Terminal sires over a proportion of breeding ewes is playing to the strengths of both Waipuna’s Maternal and Terminal programmes, not even taking the bonus of hybrid vigour or heterosis in terminally sired lambs into consideration” she says. Waipuna Maternal – Highlander Genetics is a productive, efficient, FE tolerant and resilient sheep. The focus is on producing moderately sized ewe that rears multiple-born lambs with a total weaning weight equivalent to her own live weight, good reproduction, milking ability, hogget fertility and industry leading FE tolerance with Waipuna Maternal being the most tolerant composite sheep in industry, says Dani. As part of their business, they also run a genetics consultancy business with Dani offering her expertise to farmers to determine on-farm breeding objectives and recommending sire and breed selections for multiple breeds and a guide to help them with their next ram purchase. WE COVER ALL ASPECTS OF REPRODUCTION KŶ ĞŶƚƌĞ ĂŶĚ ŽŶ ĨĂƌŵ ƐĞŵĞŶ ĐŽůůĞĐƟŽŶ &ĞƌƟůŝƚLJ ĞǀĂůƵĂƟŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ĨƌĞƐŚ ĐŽůůĞĐƟŽŶƐ ĨŽƌ / / ĂŶĚ d ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ /ŵƉŽƌƚͬ džƉŽƌƚ ŽĨ ƐĞŵĞŶͬĞŵďƌLJŽƐ WƌĞͲĞdžƉŽƌƚ ŝƐŽůĂƟŽŶ CONTACT US: 06 376 4955 @ tararuabreedingcentre@tvg.co.nz tararuabreeding.nz PROUDLY SUPPORTING DAVE ALDERSON AND ALLIN SOLUTIONS Tararua Breeding Centre Part of Totally Vets Ltd Cattle, sheep and goat reproductive specialists Highlander rams. ALLIN Solutions is holding its first on-farm Waipuna Maternal and Waipuna Terminal ram sale in November.
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