Oct-Nov-Dec 222.pmd - American Dorper Sheep Breeders` Society

Mary Had a Little Lamb…
…then she started breeding for carcass merit
Carcass 101: About EPDs
Submitted by Stefanie Charlson ~ The National Cup Lab & Technology Center ~ Ames, Iowa
Will there come a day when scanning sheep and goats for
carcass merit is as commonplace as scanning beef is now?
Will breeding stock be selected based on EPDs? Will the market
pay premiums for loin muscle depth?
“It’s only a matter of time,” says Polypay sheep producer
Jerry Sorensen of Harlan, Iowa. “We’re about 20 years behind
dairy and 15 years behind beef, but we’re getting there.”
Sorensen is part of a group of producers who formed the
National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP), an entity created
with the mission of collecting genetic performance data and
calculating EPDs, much as the beef breed associations do. Six
breeds are currently in its repertoire - Targhee, Suffolk, Polypay,
Dorsets, Hampshires, and Columbia - with others on deck as
soon as they have enough data from the breed to establish
genetic linkages.
Fall 2010
While the numbers simply haven’t been there in the past
to provide for accurate sampling, Sorensen says that is about
to change as NSIP transfers its data to the Australia-based
LAMBPLAN. With its massive database of millions of animals,
(compared to around 200,000 in NSIP’s) LAMBPLAN relies
heavily on ultrasound data to calculate carcass merit EPDs.
The ultimate benefit for the U.S. sheep industry is a giant
leap forward.
“It’s not like it’s technically any different,” says Dr. Chris
Schauer, Director of the North Dakota State University
Hettinger Research Extension Center. “It’s just not as widely
used. There isn’t the selection pressure.”
In the sheep business, ultrasound measures loin depth and
backfat, much as with beef. Maternal rams produce replacement
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ewes designed to put lambs and the ground
and terminal sires are bred to put meat on
the carcass.
Both sides of the genetic equation can
benefit from a data-based system.
Schauer and Scott Greiner, Associate
Professor of Animal and Poultry Sciences
at Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture
and Life Sciences, cite two key reasons
why ultrasound in the sheep business
hasn’t progressed far beyond Ram Tests
and a small cluster of progressive
producers. Producer perception is one of
those reasons.
“They think the numbers are too
small,” Schauer explains. “You’re looking
at a one or two pound wean-weight
difference. And that doesn’t seem like very
much.”
“Producers need to start thinking in
terms of the number of livestock it
affects,” he continues. “If you have 50
lambs, that’s 100 pounds, and that’s
significant.” Schauer says now, when the
lamb market is good, is the time to
promote this concept. “One or two
pounds adds up fast at $1.25 per pound.”
The other major influence, or lack
there-of, is the absence of strong market
signals filtering back through the system,
according to Greiner. “There is no
formalized pricing system for market
lambs,” he explains. “No ‘grid’. The
market is not highly driven by carcass
merit.”
Some packers do buy on the grid,
according to Sorensen, but only on large
contracts. The small producer, as yet, is
rarely able to tap into the system. Iowa
Lamb for example, generally will
implement grid pricing only for around
500 animals or more.
Like beef, he adds, the goal is the 55pound Yield Grade 2 Choice. The
discounts expand from that central ideal.
But, he also adds, it is an idea whose
time has come. More and more major U.S.
producers are shopping by the numbers
and aiming at the grid targets. And more
seedstock producers are breeding with the
end product in mind.
“EPDs created from ultrasound
measurements are still the best tool to
assess actual genetic merit,” says Greiner.
“As the market signals increase, so will
the use of available technology for genetic
selection. Ultimately it means dollars and
cents on the table. This is where the
rubber meets the road.”
Sorensen agrees it’s the money that
will ultimately do the talking. “When the
guy down the road says, ‘Why are you
getting $10 a hundred more than I am?’
and the answer is ‘Because I’m breeding
for carcass traits that will fit the grid’
they’ll get the message.”
More and more, throughout the
industry, carcass merit, EPDs, and
ultrasound as a means of measurement,
are making their way onto center stage.
Virginia Tech published sheep EPDs
two years ago. And 4-H programs that
use ultrasound are being enthusiastically
met by the younger set.
“We ultrasound for backfat and loin
at the county fair as part of the merit
class,” explains Mike Cass of Fontanelle,
Iowa, a sheep producer and leader in a
resurgence of sheep into the 4-H
spectrum. “The kids really get into it and
into learning why it’s important.”
Like Australia, Europe and
particularly the UK have relied heavily
on the technology for some time.
The NSIP has hosted a Center of
the Nation sale each year for the past six
years, and this year producers will post
their first ultrasound-generated data.
As “breeding by the numbers”
becomes more common, the sheep and
goat meat industries will benefit from the
technical infrastructure already provided
by existing entities like the CUP Lab™
and the Ultrasound Guidelines Council.
Quality standards and a commitment
to superior service will provide the
foundation as technicians are trained for
different animals and software is
adapted. The basic scanning equipment
is the same, only changes to the probe
and stand-off might be necessary.
“We need trained techs,” says
Sorensen, “all across the country. And
CUP Lab™ is in a perfect position to do
that.” He says sheep will be easier to scan
than cattle because loin depth is easier
to measure than ribeye size.
And the CUP LAB™ has the
expertise to assist with helping to
generate carcass data for breeding and
market success. It is committed to
assisting the American sheep industry in
developing and utilizing carcass merit and
other genetic trait EPDs.
Ultrasound, and the data it can
generate, is an idea whose time has come
in the sheep and goat industry. Mary’s
little lamb is about to become a nice, lean,
juicy loin chop. Break out the garlic and
herbs.
Upcoming Events
November 14
2010 National Dorper/White Dorper Junior Show, North American International
Livestock Exposition,Louisville, KY
For More Information: www.livestockexpo.org
November 18
2010 National Dorper/White Dorper Show, North American International Livestock
Exposition, Louisville, KY
For More Information: www.livestockexpo.org
January 21-23
Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo/ADSBS Annual Meeting
January 22 - National Junior Dorper Show at 10:00 AM
January 22 - National Open Dorper Show at 1:00 AM
January 22 - National Fort Worth Elite Dorper Sale at 6:00 PM
January 23 - 2010 ADSBS Annual Meeting
For More Information: Douglas Gillespie, Executive Secretary at 254/681-8793 or email:
dorpers@ymail.com
Deborah Gale
SEE-EYE DORPERS
Prairie States
Chloe Iiams
Insurance Agency, Inc.
13177 FR 1195
Aurora, MO 65605
1216 NW 50th
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
Direct
(405) 235-5541
Fax
(405) 235-5225
Toll Free
(800) 627-4677
www.prairiestatesinsurance.com
417-846-6835 lv. msg. 417-389-5570 Jack Reed after 7 p.m.
see-eyedorpers@yahoo.com
QRSRR Registered Full Blood
White Rams & Ewes
Fall 2010
dgale42801@aol.com
Providing Mortality Insurance for the Sheep Industry
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19
Stone Axe Farm
Meat Sheep for Modern Producers
CSheep
HAPARRAL
Ranch
Registered Dorpers
David & Sue McDaniel
Niangua, MO
Bill & Martha Howell
Ç{ÓÓÊÊÎnäÊÊUÊÊ->˜Ê˜}iœ]Ê/8ÊÇșäx
­ÎÓx®ÊÈx™‡ÓÓxÇ
417-473-6822
www.stoneaxefarm.com
E-mail: chapasheep@hughes.net or Visit us @ www.chapasheep.com
670 Highway 424
Russellville, AL 35653
Roger Jones
(256) 332-9420
Cell: (256) 460-2406
rodajo@hughes.net
HAPPY HILLS FARM
Wayne and Cheryl Cash
Full Blood Purebred Percentage
●
DIAMOND D DORPERS
●
SCFP 2002
P.O. Box 1592
Gainesville, TX 76241
940-736-1923
940-736-1896
DR. DEBORAH LEPLEY
(727) 207-1109
deborahlepley@yahoo.com
www.diamondddorpers.com
cashdorpers@wildblue.net
501 Libby Road Babson Park, FL
●
Twin County Dorpers
Fullblood & Purebred White Dorpers
VSFCP Fall 2001
Isabelle Lauzière & Lloyd Wendel
30881 Ranch Road 385
Harper, Texas, 78631
830/864-4717
lewendel@ctesc.net
Quality Breeding Stock Available
20
www.dorper.org
G.F. & Deb Kennedy
Gary Gorter * P.O. Box 188
Pipestone, MN 56164
507/825-5341
Fall 2010
Highmeadow Ranch
WAG DORPERS
Arroyo Seco, N.M.
“Tomorrow’s Genetics Today”
Fullblood Dorpers
Jim Rosenbaum
Scrapie Enrolled
502 Line Drive, Gainesville, TX 76240
PH: 940-665-0223 ~ Fax: 940-665-4477
Catherine and William
Guynes
(575) 776-0068
catherine@guynes.net
Twin Ridges
BRANDON, LEANN, AND WYLE
WINTERS
KAHOKA, MISSOURI
5 7 3 -881-20 73
TwinRidges.farming.officelive.com
trdorper@gmail.com
B & B DORPERS
Purebred and Fullblood
Bert and Billie Mansfield
301 PR 904
Georgetown, TX 78633
Striving to improve quality
Phone:
FAX:
email:
Fall 2010
(254) 793-2929
(254) 793-2321
pbertman@pmwifi.com
KANSAS
Dorpers &
White Dorpers
FULLBLOODS
PUREBREDS
PERCENTAGES
Edwin Dent, Jr./ Weston Dent
Salina, Kansas
Phone: 785/827-1722
Cell: 785/643-3201
Email: dentscattle@live.com
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21
Advertiser
’s Index
dvertiser’s
B&B Dorpers ------------------------------------------------------------------- 21
Caboose Dorpers ------------------------------------------------------------ 21
Chaparral Sheep Ranch ---------------------------------------------------- 20
Crane Creek Dorpers & White Dorpers ---------------------------------- 7
Diamond D Dorpers ---------------------------------------------------------- 20
Five Points Dorpers ---------------------------------------------------------- 20
Half-Circle Six Ranches ----------------------------------------------------- 21
Hamilton Sheep Station ----------------------------------------------------- BC
Happy Hills Farm -------------------------------------------------------------- 20
Highmeadow Ranch ---------------------------------------------------------- 21
Kansas Dorpers & White Dorpers --------------------------------------- 21
Lazy J Ranch ------------------------------------------------------------------ 13
Dorper R
eport
Report
Advertising
Rates & Sizes
Full Page Color~8.5” (w) x 11” (t)
Member Rate
$450
Non-Member Rate
$500
Full Page B/W~7.5” (w) x 10” (t)
Member Rate
$120
Non-Member Rate
$150
1/2 Page Color~8.5” (w) x 5” (t)
Member Rate
$225
Non-Member Rate
$300
Lewis White Dorpers ----------------------------------------------------------- 6
Lone Star Dorpers ------------------------------------------------------------ 18
LTM Genetics ------------------------------------------------------------------ 20
Milk Specialties ------------------------------------------------------------------ 4
Pipestone Dorpers ----------------------------------------------------------- 20
Prairie States Insurance Agency, Inc. ----------------------------------- 19
See-Eye Dorpers ------------------------------------------------------------- 19
Shelby Acres Farm ----------------------------------------------------------- 15
Stone Axe Farm --------------------------------------------------------------- 20
Sunrise Farm -------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
T & A Dorpers ------------------------------------------------------------------ 17
Texas White Dorper Sheep ------------------------------------------------ 21
Twin County Dorpers -------------------------------------------------------- 20
Twin Ridges -------------------------------------------------------------------- 21
Vmann Dorper ----------------------------------------------------------------- 21
WAG Dorpers ------------------------------------------------------------------ 21
Withia Dorper Farms ---------------------------------------------------------- 9
www
.dorper
.org Sponsors
www.dorper
.dorper.org
The ADSBS is offering the opportunity for members to become website
sponsors for the society’s website, www.dorper.org. The sponsorship fee is
$500 for the 2010 calendar year. The ADSBS Website is averaging 2000 hits
per month. Sponsors receive a business card ad on the homepage, with a link
provided to their own flock’s website.
The current website sponsor is Stone Axe Farm. We appreciate the support,
and welcome new sponsorships.
To become a www.dorper.org 2010 sponsor, send your check for $500
(payable to ADSBS), artwork and info for business card listing, and your web
link to Ronda Sparks at the ADSBS office.
22
www.dorper.org
1/2 Page B/W~7.5” (w) x 5” (t)
Member Rate
$75
Non-Member Rate
$100
1/3 Page B/W~7.5” (w) x 3.25” (t)
Member Rate
$45
Non-Member Rate
$55
1/4 Page B/W~3.5” (w) x 5” (t)
Member Rate
Non-Member Rate
$35
$45
Business Card (4 issues)
3.5” (w) x 2” (t)
Member Rate
Non-Member Rate
$45
$75
Classified Ads: 50 words or less; excluding
name and telephone number.
Member Rate
$10
Non-Member Rate
$15
Winter Issue
Deadline January 1st
Spring Issue
Deadline April 1st
Summer Issue
Deadline July 1st
Fall Issue
Deadline October 1st
Please contact:
Ronda Sparks @ (573) 696-2550 or
Email: ADSBSoffice@centurytel.net.
Fall 2010
Southern States Dorper Show & Sale
Champion Dorper Ram
T&A Dorpers, Raymond, OH
The inaugural Southern States
Dorper Show & Sale was held in July at
Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville,
Tennessee.
The event was an
overwhelming success, with 100 lots
averaging $682.75 and sheep selling into
seventeen states.
Hamilton Sheep Station of Texas had
the Champion White Dorper Yearling
Ram, which sold at $1,300 to Collin Cleer
of South Carolina. HSS’s Reserve
Champion Fall Ram Lamb brought $1500
from Hickory Grove White Dorpers of
Kentucky. Riverwood Farms of Ohio sold
the next yearling at $1,000 to Dr. David
S. Redwine of Virginia, while Steve
Graben of Alabama paid $1,100 for an
HSS ram. Robin Rau of Georgia paid the
top White Dorper ram price of $1,600
Champion White Dorper Ram
Hamilton Sheep Station, TX
Fall 2010
for a yearling from Kentucky Grassland
Dorpers of Kentucky. The 15 White
Dorper rams averaged $836.67.
The three top placing yearling ewes,
including the Champion, Reserve
Champion and third ewe in class all were
consigned by Hamilton Sheep Station
and sold for $950 each to Joseph Padgett
of Kentucky. Kentucky Grassland sold
a $600 ewe to Hickory Grove White
Dorpers, and another HSS ewe brought
$650 from N&K Ranch of Texas. The
high selling White Dorper ewe was the
$2,400 Winter Ewe Lamb class winner
from Locust Creek Dorpers of
Tennessee, selling to Phillip Padgett of
Kentucky. Another pair of Locust Creek
lambs brought $1,050 each, selling to
Tomas Daniel Rivers of Tennessee. The
24 White Dorper ewes averaged
$637.50.
The Champion Dorper Ram was a
Fall ram lamb from T&A Dorpers of Ohio
that sold for $800 to Seth Gillespie of
Texas, while Riverwood Farms’ Reserve
Champion Winter Ram Lamb brought
$1,200 from Swan Creek Farms of Ohio.
Circle H Livestock of Kentucky won the
yearling ram class, and this ram brought
$850 from Seth Gillespie. The high
selling Dorper ram was a Kentucky
Grasslands yearling that brought $1,800
from Robin Rau of Georgia. The 19
Dorper rams averaged $584.21.
Riverwood Farms’ Champion
Winter Ewe Lamb sold for $1,150 to
Jessica Jean Larrick of Ohio. The
Reserve Champion Yearling Ewe from
Deer Run Ranch of Missouri sold at
$1,550 to Phillip Padgett. James Sewall
of Tennessee bought a pair of T&A
yearlings, plus one from Circle H
Livestock, all at $600 each. Larry Cagle
of Mississippi added a $600 ewe from
Johan duToit of Florida, and then
DuWayne McCulley of Tennessee paid
$600 each for yearlings from Kentucky
Grassland. Corrado’s Farm of New
Jersey picked up a trio of $500 Fall ewe
lambs; two from Circle H and one from
www.dorper.org
Champion Dorper Ewe
Riverwood Farms, Powell, OH
T&A. T&A sold a $550 lamb to Larry
Cagle, and a Riverwood Winter lamb
brought $650 from Brittany Coleman of
Florida as the 19 Dorper ewes averaged
$602.63.
The top selling pen of ewes from
3C Ranch of Texas brought $1,600 from
Twin Brook Livestock Co. of
Massachusetts, followed by a trio of
Hamilton Sheep Station pens at $1,350
to D&M Dorpers of Mississippi, $1,350
to Joseph Padgett, and $1,200 to Jan
Thompson of Tennessee. Bill Kuecker
of Tennessee added a $1,200 Hamilton
Sheep Station pen as 18 pens averaged
$912.50.
Hillcrest White Dorpers of Virginia
sold the top unhaltered ram at $450 to
Fort Valley State University of Georgia.
Champion White Dorper Ewe
Hamilton Sheep Station, TX
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American Dorper Sheep Breeders’ Society
P.O. Box 259
Hallsville, MO 65255-0259
Telephone: (573) 696-2550
Fax: (573) 696-2030