Speakers at Sheep Event underline importance of using data
© Ruth Rees Improving sheep farming profitability and sustainability through genetics and nutrition were the focus at the NSA Welsh Sheep event.
Data can be a valuable tool for improving flock productivity and performance.
Innovis geneticist Janet Roden called on farmers to start using farm data to identify unproductive ewes and then delve deeper into lamb performance based on sire.
“If you measure your productivity and then start using that data to help your breeding decisions, you can really increase that productivity.
See also:Â Why and when farmers should weigh sheep
“Paying some attention to that, finding the ones [ewes] that are just riding the system, not actually paying their way, is key to improving it.
“It’s all about using the best tools to make those breeding decisions, whether it’s culling of the bottom end, breeding from the best base ram, or buying the best ram for your flock,” she added.
Janet Roden © MAG/Anne Dunn
Janet also encouraged sheep producers to use estimated breeding values (EBVs) to home in on productivity when selecting ewes and rams.
“Good EBVs don’t make a good sheep, but they really help manage the risk, particularly in terms of productivity. Why not use every tool available you have rather than leave it to chance?” she said.
She revealed how flocks participating in the Welsh Sheep Genetics programme were improving productivity.
In one flock, she said, ewes within the top 25% of the breeding index produced heavier lambs at weaning.
Genetics
Mark Young, livestock agri-food specialist at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, added that farmers should consider the family genetics of the flock, while being clear what traits need to be improved to increase profitability.
“Look at the best genetic information that the ram breeder can provide for the selected rams. But look at the maternal performance. The rams don’t exhibit those traits, and that’s why relative information is crucial,” he said.
Mark Young © Anne Dunn
Mark encouraged farmers to identify which problems they wanted to address and work closely with their ram breeder to select traits to help solve those issues.
The important thing was to know where the farm business wants to go and not to confuse change with improvement.
“Genetics is a long game, and you get it by monitoring what you’re buying, and monitoring what that does on your farm in terms of performance,” he said.
Janet Roden and Mark Young were speaking in a seminar at the 2025 NSA Welsh Sheep event at Tregoyd, near Brecon in Powys.Â
Host farm: How flock is breeding Romneys fit for the future
The Sawdays hosted the 2025 NSA Welsh Sheep Event.
Will Sawday, Penny Chantler and Sam Sawday © Ruth Rees
Farm facts Tregoyd Farm, Brecon
- Brassicas grown as break crops
- Land rising to 366m above sea level
- Lambing outdoors in April
- 1.5 lambs a ewe weaned last year
- Rearing seven batches of 150 calves annually, moving up to 240 a batch
- Stores sold at Hereford and Brecon markets
- Finished lambs sold to Farmers Fresh
Anticipating the evolving needs of commercial sheep producers is at the heart of brothers Will and Sam Sawday’s breeding strategy.
Farming 1,500 ewes alongside their mother, Penny Chantler, the brothers, run a low-input, forage-based system that is constantly adapting.
Land is largely rented from the Tregoyd Estate, near Brecon.
The flock comprises 500 stud Romneys, 300 stud Romney cross Texels and 700 commercial Romneys, with rams imported from New Zealand.
The family have recently established a Suf-Tex terminal sire stud.
The core business is breeding rams for commercial sheep producers, although they also sell stores and finished lambs.
Grassland management
Meeting customer expectations means feeding no concentrates.
“We haven’t fed concentrates to ewes for 11 years. We are not evangelical about not feeding it, but customers want rams from a forage-only system.
“Rams never get fed concentrate,” explains Will.
Regenerative principles guide their approach, although they remain flexible.
A mix of rotational, mob and deferred grazing helps them manage pasture efficiently.
Lambs and ewes are set stocked at lambing (10/ha) before being mob grazed in three large groups.
Will and Sam began sowing herbal leys eight years ago.
They now sow 12ha (30 acres) annually alongside 4ha (10 acres) of red clover to support lamb finishing and produce one silage cut in June.Â
Brassicas act as break crops and direct drilling is practised.
Glyphosate use has been halved by mixing it with fulvic acid, and synthetic fertiliser has been eliminated in favour of poultry manure.
Spot spraying has been replaced with topping to cut chemical reliance further.
Data-driven breeding
Every stud lamb is tagged and recorded from birth and logged onto New Zealand’s estimated breeding value (EBV) system.
“We could do DNA parentage,” says Will, “but I think we gain great insight into lamb vigour and mothering ability from tagging and recording.”
The enterprise was established in 1986 by their late stepfather, Richard Chantler, and while the breeding philosophy has not changed significantly, new traits are being introduced.
One is dag scoring to combat flystrike and maintain market share against wool-shedding breeds.
“Wool-shedding breeds are gaining massive popularity, so as Romney breeders, we must address the reasons farmers are switching from wool breeds,” says Will.
He believes removing wool is not the only answer and dag scoring can help them to breed flystrike-resistant, woolly sheep.
Lambs are scored on a scale of 0-5 (5 being worst) at weaning, and in the autumn, so breeding values can be generated.
“We cull everything that gets flystrike. A dagless sheep is 80% less likely to get flystrike,” Will explains.
The Sawdays are challenging sheep by using half-rate fly spray on lambs’ back ends.
They have moved to shearing once annually in June and limiting crutching.
“We are breeding for open breaches and points, less wool in the lower value parts of the sheep and reduced overall staple length to advance this trait.
“Our aim is to eliminate fly spray and dagging,” he adds.
Worm resistance
They are also selecting for worm resistance by identifying lambs that maintain growth in the face of a worm challenge.
Post-weaning, ram lambs graze pasture with a high egg count (more than 800 eggs/g), with individual faecal egg counts (FECs) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels taken to assess worm resistance.
Additionally, weights are taken every three weeks from August until November and compared with a small control group, which is drenched every weighing.
“If rams grow less than 80% compared to the control group, they are drenched and recorded. We combine this with FEC and IgA data to build a good picture of immunity and production.
“Our goal is to breed the most productive sheep at the lowest cost. We don’t necessarily select only the fastest growers – we select lambs that thrive under challenging circumstances.
“Our customers want easy lambing, high survival and good growth, and carcasses from grass,” explains Will.
Future plans
Recently, the Sawdays started rearing calves through Blade and plan to increase throughput and take a batch through to finish. This will help them reduce the parasite burden on pasture.
Participation in the Welsh Sheep Genetics Programme has allowed them to begin genomic testing. Will says this will increase selection accuracy, particularly for low-heritability traits.
They have also tested 50 ram lambs for methane emissions.
“It’s a good proxy for efficiency and lean meat yield. You can reduce methane emissions by 30% though breeding.
“That’s a compelling story for the future with sheep sequestering more carbon than their current potential.”