Genotype Early, Focus, and Invest Wisely

Advice for managing sheep in tough environmental conditions

Start with the animals worth investing in

In a tough season, every kilo of feed and every hour of labour counts. Genotyping your animals early gives you the confidence to know which sheep are worth that investment — and which ones aren’t.

Rather than spreading scarce resources across the whole flock, genomic information lets you focus on the top animals and avoid spending time and money on the bottom end that won’t contribute to your breeding or production goals.

This isn’t about “saving money by skipping measurements.” It’s about never feeding or potentially selling the bottom group in the first place, because you already know they aren’t genetically competitive.

Why this matters

When conditions are challenging, it’s not always possible — or affordable — to measure every animal. Cutting too many measurements without guidance can introduce bias, reduce the accuracy of Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs), and put long-term genetic progress at risk.

That’s where genomics comes in.

Key Research Insights

A recent study tested different strategies for selecting and recording animals in Merino flocks (Clarke et al. 2025). The comparisons included:

  • No phenotyping
  • Random phenotyping (50% of animals)
  • Phenotyping the heaviest 50% at weaning
  • Phenotyping top 50% based on genomic index (GenoSelect)

Each strategy was tested with and without genotyping.

What They Found

Genotyping makes a big difference

  • DNA information greatly improved ASBV accuracy compared to phenotyping alone.
  • Even with reduced phenotyping, genotyping maintained over 90% of the selection advantage.

Best compromise for cost and accuracy

  • Genotyping all animals + phenotyping the top 50% (based on genomic index) delivered the most accurate ASBVs.

Reduced bias

  • Genotyping lowered the bias created when only better-than-average animals are measured.

Trait variation matters

  • Effects varied by trait (e.g. yearling weight vs fibre diameter), so strategies should reflect breeding goals.

Practical Recommendations for Tough Conditions

  • Genotype early – identify the best animals before committing feed, labour, or measurement effort.
  • Use genomic ranking to phenotype selectively – if you can’t measure them all, focus on the top 50%.
  • Maintain reference population quality – keep recording across a range of animals to protect long-term accuracy.
  • Tailor to breeding objectives – consider which traits are most important for your enterprise.
  • Think ahead – cutting corners now may help in a dry season, but balanced strategies ensure genetic gain continues.

Key Takeaway

When feed, water, and labour are limited, genotyping all animals and phenotyping the top 50% based on genomic ranking is the most effective way to reduce bias, save resources, and keep your flock moving forward — even in tough years.

Not sure where to begin?

Head to www.sheepDNA.com.au to read more about our Smart Flock Elite test, or contact the Neogen office on 07 3736 2134.

Reference:

B.E. Clarke , D.J. Brown , P. Bradley and A.A. Swan. GENOTYPING REDUCES PRESELECTION BIAS ON MERINOSELECT ASBVS IN MERINO FLOCKS (2025) Proc. Assoc. Advmt. Anim. Breed. Genet. 26: 463-466