A NEW genomic testing service is now available to help Merino producers improve flock productivity, profitability and sustainability — without the need for phenotyping or Sheep Genetics membership.

Neogen Australasia has released Smart Flock Select, a single-test genomic selection tool designed to rank sheep within a flock for economically important traits, enabling producers to make faster, more accurate selection decisions for both rams and ewes.

The service is targeted at Merino commercial and stud operations not currently utilising Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs), offering a cost-effective way to apply genomic selection without the time and expense of on-farm measurement programs.

Neogen’s Sheep & Goat Genomic Technical Product Specialist, Mel Dowling, said Smart Flock Select gave producers access to the same underlying genomic technology used in pedigree and breeding programs, but in a simple format that works for non-registered and non-performance-recorded flocks.

“This is about giving Merino breeders — large or small, stud or commercial — the ability to make selection decisions with a high degree of accuracy, earlier in the animal’s life, and without the requirement for ASBVs,” Ms Dowling said.

“It opens the door to genomic selection for many more producers, and that’s a big step forward for flock improvement.”

With Smart Flock Select, all Merino producers now have access to the same underlying genomic technology used in pedigree and breeding programs.

One test, multiple applications

Smart Flock Select uses a single DNA test to generate genomic breeding values (GBVs) for 13 traits covering wool quality and quantity, health and welfare, growth and carcase characteristics, plus four selection indexes.

The system can be applied in a range of ways, including:

Selecting the best young rams if breeding your own.
Choosing top sires in multiplier flocks for large-scale commercial operations.
Identifying superior ewe replacements.
Tailoring selections to specific supply chains.

Neogen said the “multiplier effect” of using better rams — whose genetic merit is passed onto many progeny — makes Smart Flock Select particularly valuable for businesses breeding their own sires or sourcing from multipliers.

Because genomic testing can capture hard-to-measure traits, such as meat yield or reproductive performance, and provide early-life predictions, selection pressure can be applied more confidently to young animals.

Simple, intuitive reporting

Smart Flock Select results are presented in an easy-to-understand 1–10 scoring system, with 1 representing the top 10 percent of animals in the flock and 10 representing the bottom 90 percent.

Each animal is ranked individually, and flocks receive a Smart Flock Profile to benchmark their genetics against the Sheep Genetics MERINOSELECT population.

Additional reporting options include:

Smart Flock Parentage – sire and/or dam assignment for progeny if parent profiles are on record.
Sheep Poll Test – to determine horn/poll status.

The service is also compatible with future parent verification requirements.

Producers learning about the new Genomic only Breeding Values product from Sheep Genetics Development Officer Marnie Hodge.

Accessible to more Merino producers

A key point of difference for Smart Flock Select is that no Sheep Genetics membership is required, making the tool accessible to producers who are not participating in MERINOSELECT or submitting phenotypic data.

“Producers can get the benefits of genomic selection without changing their whole management system,” Ms Dowling said.

“You simply take a sample, send it to the lab, and in one step you get data on wool, meat, growth and health traits that would be difficult or costly to measure on-farm.”

Driving flock improvement and market confidence

By identifying the animals most aligned with a business’s breeding objective — and removing those with low genetic merit — Smart Flock Select helps lift overall flock performance.

Neogen said benefits include:

Earlier selection decisions with greater accuracy in young animals.
Higher genetic gain through targeted ram and ewe selection.
Greater marketability of sheep backed by genomic data.

For commercial producers, this means more uniform, productive flocks and the potential to meet specific market requirements more efficiently. For studs and multipliers, it means supplying clients with rams of proven merit.

 

Neogen Australasia is encouraging interested Merino producers to contact Greg Sawyer on 0486 350 068 or to find out more about Smart Flock Select, visit neogenaustralasia.com.au.