Many of the top Texel breeders in the country gained an insight into the science of sheep breeding during a Texel New Zealand conference in Canterbury.
A good turnout of about 30 breeders attended the three-day conference.
The conference theme was undressing some of the challenges facing the sheep industry.
On the second day delegates visited Lincoln University to watch registered structural soundness assessor and ultrasound scanner for the cattle industry, Bill Austin, go out of his comfort zone and assess Texel ewe hoggets for their structural soundness.
Conformation traits were looked at in the hoof, limb and body, while he appraised animals from the front, side and rear views.
He told breeders only with the use of ultrasound scanning or CT scanning could they really identify if top conformation was a result of an animal’s muscle structure.
At the workshop breeders discussed how conformational faults could be identified and scored, and the effect they could have on an animal’s ability to grow, lay down muscle and remain functional and productive.
Several Texel breeders are measuring intramuscular fat levels in their animals and the use of imaging technology and carcass analysis is expected to produce an animal sought-after by consumers.
The 16 ewe hoggets from about eight breeders are part of the Canterbury Texel Breeders Club’s ewe hogget performance competition and are normally grazed at Hamish Cottle’s Highground farm near St Andrews for a year to assess their performance.
The structural soundness workshop was followed by talks by Lincoln University scientists Dr Andy Greer on parasitism, Dr David Scobie on bare breech and belly sheep and short-tail attributes and Prof Jon Hickford on sheep and cattle genetics.
Conference organiser Garry Latta said the university insights struck a chord with the breeders.
"Everyone was talking about the visit to the university and it was a real highlight," he said.
The breeders then spent the next day visiting North Canterbury flocks at Kate and Quintin Boyd’s Mayfair Texels stud at Masons Flat near Hawarden, Sam and Viki Holland’s Hemingford stud at Culverden and Sarah Rodie’s Murray Downs stud at Amberley.
The Keith Berry Memorial Trophy was presented for the first time to Clare Callow, who runs a SIL bureau based in Palmerston North, for services to the Texel breed.
