LMY & EQ PDS – Site Facilitation – Southern NSW

Summary

Two Producer Demonstration Sites (PDS) were established in southern NSW as part of a national trial to demonstrate the value of lean meat yield, intramuscular fat and tenderness in prime lamb production systems.  On PD13 (Manchester),300 Corriedale ewes and at PD12 (Holding) 251 merino ewes were artificially inseminated with semen from Poll Dorset and White Suffolk sires that were identified to have divergent breeding values on relevant key traits.
From pre-conception though to weaning, the ewes were managed to Lifetime Ewe Management (LTEM) guidelines.  Ewes and lambs were all electronically identified, with all relevant information recorded against the ewes ( AI, condition score, scanning, wet and dry, treatments), and the lambs (DNA record, weights, treatments).  Lambs were weaned and “finished” as per normal management practices at each PDS site.  Lambs were processed at 3 processing plants (PD13 at 2 processing sites and PD12 at 1 processing site).
​The data collected from these 2 PDS will be aggregated with data from other sites and analysed under the national coordination project, B.SCC.0144, to determine the value of RBVs for LMY and eating quality traits to ram breeders, lamb producers and processors.