Sheep producers have new technology that can help them breed for meat with less fat and more muscle.
At a ram evaluation seminar sponsored by the Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board, 30 sheep producers learned about ultrasound technology as a way of measuring a ram’s loin-eye depth. The size of the loin eye, or chop area, is “highly heritable,” said Colleen Sawyer, board extension and marketing manager.
“A large loin-eye area is a desirable trait. By selecting a ram with a measurably higher loin-eye size, there is a much better chance of getting lambs with a large loin-eye as well.”
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Producers now use traits such as rate of gain and carcass yield when selecting herd sires, but loin-eye size is more heritable than traditional measures.
“Without the ultrasound scanning, however, the loin-eye characteristics are only apparent after slaughter. Ultrasound has been used for fat measurements for some time, but now it can show muscle as well,” said Sawyer.
Breeds evaluated at the seminar included Hampshire, Dorset, Dorper, Suffolk, Katahdin, Canadian Arcott, Rambouillet, North Country Cheviot, East Friesian and Colored sheep. Ultrasound technician Ian Clark of Euro-Sheep Farms in Alberta told participants that all meat or dual-purpose breeds can produce a meaty carcass.
“He also said there is less variation in carcass between breeds than within a breed. Once producers have determined which breed they prefer to work with, it is important they select within the breed for the best conformation and carcass traits,” said Sawyer.
Alesa Verreault, sheep board executive director, said the loin-eye measurement is new information for producers and getting access to equipment can be difficult.
But she said the board will arrange to have all Saskatchewan record-of-performance test station ram lambs scanned after test to provide producers with another selection criteria.
Sawyer, who is also a sheep producer, is impressed with the accuracy of ultrasound scanning.
“We want less fat and more muscle in our sheep and ultrasound shows us which animals are capable of this,” she said.
Financial support for the ram evaluation seminar was provided by the Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Fund in Saskatchewan and was matched by the sheep check-off fund. Agriculture Canada funds the CARDS program.
For more information, contact Colleen Sawyer or Alesa Verreault at 306-933-5200.
