Sheep & Beef Farm Conversion to Forestry Slows, Risk Remains
Conversions of sheep and beef farms to forestry have slowed, however new research from Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) suggests land of value for food production remains at risk.
Developed by B+LNZ with input from farmers, breeders and rural professionals, nProve was designed with a clear purpose: to make it easier for farmers to harness the power of genetics and make more profitable breeding decisions.
Sarah Powdrell, B+LNZ’s genetics extension and operations manager, says ram selection can be likened to buying a car.
“Most cars share similar features, but people still have preferences - some might choose a particular colour or brand, while others opt for electric or hybrid models for efficiency or environmental reasons. Rams are no different. While they may look similar, their genetic makeup can vary significantly.”
All cars in New Zealand also have safety test ratings. You can compare most models on the same scale and rank them from poorest to best. While these ratings don’t tell you everything about a car, they do a good job of assessing something that’s otherwise hard to evaluate without a degree in engineering and a lot of fancy equipment.
Just as cars have safety ratings, rams can also be objectively compared using genetic indexes and breeding values. These provide insights that go beyond what the eye can see. nProve presents this information in an easy-to-use format, allowing farmers to make objective comparisons.
“Eye appraisal alone doesn’t cut the mustard compared to ratings based on comprehensive data on an animal and its family members,” says Sarah. “There needs to be a balance, and that’s where nProve comes in.”
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Using a series of sliders and filters, farmers can identify and prioritise traits that are important to them, and the tool will identify breeders that align with those preferences.
“For example, if facial eczema or parasite resistance are important traits to you, move these sliders to see the top flocks for those traits.”
Sarah acknowledges the challenge of juggling lots of figures for a range of traits on sale day, especially with the addition of new traits as science emerges.
“We’re often told by farmers that ram buying is getting more complicated. That’s why we built nProve - to simplify the process and empower farmers to have more effective conversations with their ram breeders, both before and on sale day.”
She recommends farmers have a play with the tool which is available at nprove.nz, ahead of their ram purchases.
“As you move the sliders, nProve identifies your options nationwide, which can then be narrowed down by region, breed, and birth year,” Sarah explains. “You can even flag breeders or rams of interest and create a shortlist. When you’re ready to contact a breeder, their details are easily found by clicking the ‘More Info’ button.”
Breeders put a lot of effort into breeding the right rams for their clients and welcome the opportunity to talk through their breeding philosophy and the data that backs up the merit of their rams. Tools like nProve help ensure those rams are matched with the right farmers, creating better outcomes for everyone.
Getting started is easy – simply visit nProve.nz, or for more ram buying resources go to beeflambnz.com and type “sheep genetics” into the search box.
