This project is part of a larger AWI funded project (Genetic Evaluation: Productivity, Efficiency and profitability (GEPEP) that uses wethers from the Merino Lifetime Productivity (MLP) examining the lifetime production and reproduction of Merino sheep from a range of industry sires. Objectives of MLP include: improving selection of profitable and productive sheep which are directly in line with aims of the proposed project: improvements to prediction of body composition. Additionally, as outlined below, it is expected that the results of this project will allow for improvement to selection of sheep with desirable resilience traits; linking the project directly to producers by helping them to improve farm productivity via higher stocking rates, while maintaining a high standard of animal welfare.
The expected outcomes of this project are:
1. Improvement of producer estimation of sheep body composition
2. Allow producers to select sheep that will display greater resilience during feed shortages
3. Selection of sheep that maintain body condition and/or wool/meat production at a higher stocking rate