Self-shedding sheep study
Massey University is examining the economic impact and the production consequences of crossbreeding with Wiltshire sheep to a fully shedding flock.
The free tool, named nProve, enables farmers to use a series of buttons and slider scales to describe what they need from a ram. nProve then generates a list of breeders whose rams meet the farmer’s criteria.
B+LNZ Genetics general manager Dan Brier says the launch reinforces New Zealand’s position as a trailblazer in sheep genetics.
“We’ve long been the envy of the world for our genetic evaluation service SIL. However, while SIL is traditionally the domain of ram breeders, nProve is for both breeders and commercial farmers,” says Brier.
“It has taken three solid years of development and input from farmers and some of New Zealand’s leading ram breeders. The result is an on-line tool that is a pleasure to use. It’s simple to navigate and the transparency of data invites users to engage and really question their breeding priorities.”
nProve has been developed in partnership with B+LNZ and RMPP. Over time, it will replace the SIL tools, FlockFinder and RamFinder.
