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SIL-ACE - Increasing access to genetic information for sheep farmers

SIL-ACE - Increasing access to genetic information for sheep farmers
Peer reviewed
Young MJ, Newman S-AN
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 69, pp 153-154, Jun 2009

Article class: Conference Presentation

Subject Terms: Breed/breeding, Genetics, Information systems/technology

Animal Type: Sheep

Publisher: New Zealand Society of Animal Production

Abstract

SIL-ACE is a large-scale, across-flock, across-breed genetic evaluation carried out bi-monthly by SIL. Goal trait groups considered include Growth, Meat (carcass merit), Wool, Reproduction and Resistance to internal parasites. The SIL-ACE dataset comprises over 330 flocks and 3.2 million animals. Leader lists for top-rated 200 sires are published on the www.sil.co.nz website. These comprise the top 5 to 10% of sires for each index or goal trait group considered. Visual depictions of flock connectedness are also provided. Breeders obtaining within flock reports based on the SIL-ACE genetic evaluation, can use a percentile bands table as a scale to judge the merit of animals they are considering for selection. Developments underway will lead to other traits being added to the SIL-ACE evaluation such as lamb survival and ewe performance, resulting in more powerful selection tools to better target genetics suited to a particular users needs.

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