Measured Goats field day – register today!
The goat industry is converging at Condobolin next week (17 September) for the ‘Measured Goats field day’ and it’s not too late to register!
Opening the gates of the Condobolin Agricultural and Advisory Station, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is giving industry a ‘first look’ at the Goat genomic reference herd. Join us to explore the research that's driving genetic gain in Australia's goat industry.
The field day will cover:
- findings from the Measured Goats and Going Ahead with Goats projects
- industry-transforming results delivered by leading researchers
- recent animal health surveillance outcomes
- on-farm implementation of electronic individual identification (eID) technology
- practical advice on selecting bucks using breeding values.
Boasting unique opportunities for attendees to:
- inspect the purpose-built yards and handling infrastructure
- observe weaners from cohort two in their sire groups, demonstrating the results of using bucks with different breeding values
- taste deliciously prepared Australian goatmeat at morning tea and lunch.
Who will you hear from?
Dr Tom Granleese, Measured Goats project lead, will provide insights on the potential to enhance growth rates and business profitability through buck selection. He will present on the variation among the project's cohort one bucks in their weaning and post-weaning weight breeding values. In addition, he will provide pathways that producers running a range of enterprises – from extensive rangelands to dedicated stud breeders – can use to accelerate genetic improvement in their herds with cost-benefit analysis.
Dr Sam Walkom will provide preliminary insights into what the Measured Goats reproduction data is indicating about trends in kid survival. These results are likely to have implications for crossbreeding strategies and help inform the most profitable breeding structures for commercial breeders who have control in their joining.
Professor Peter McGilchrist will showcase the meat quality data collected on the Measured Goats project's first drop of 767 wethers, including carcase weight, dressing percentage, ultimate pH of the loin, eye muscle area, fat depth, shear force and intramuscular fat percentage. These results are helping to further industry's understanding of how breed composition influences meat quality and the impact of breed on trait variation. Results will also assist producers in making genetic selection decisions that align with consumer preferences.
Dr Rea Alexandri will provide insights on genotype results to demonstrate whether Boer and Kalahari goats are genetically distinct and provide information about genetic structure and diversity of the rangeland population. These results will influence how breeds are considered in national genetic evaluations, such as KIDPLAN, and simplify commercial breeding strategies.
Big opportunities are emerging from the Measured Goats project, which is co-funded by DPIRD and Meat & Livestock Australia.
