DSANA’s Genetic Evaluation Program (formerly the PIP - Production Improvement Program) is a new tool that sheep’s milk producers in North America can use to make more informed decisions in their breeding programs. Taking the guess work out of choosing replacement stock can have a dramatic effect on a farm’s bottom line. Joining the program also has the benefit of contributing to the quality of the entire dairy flock of North America.
Our program coordinator will be happy to answer any questions you have about the program and will help you get started on building a better farm. Interested? Read on and contact us with questions.
DSANA thanks Glendale Shepherd for it’s support of our work.
“Using DSANA's PIP/GEP provides a multi-generational, data-driven tool for helping me select which ewes to cull and which ram lambs to keep. In addition to the rankings by milk quantities, I can get a picture of the overall quality of a ewe's milk as well, which has really helped us keep our SCC down.” - Christen Waddell, Blackberry Farm
Why Do We Need The Genetic Evaluation Program?
The growth of the dairy sheep industry in North America has been greatly hampered by the low level of milk production from most of the dairy stock available. The majority of North American dairy sheep producers currently do not produce enough milk to break even with the cost of production. The greatest expenses in dairy sheep production are feed and labor, so increasing the milk yield produced per ewe and improving milk components can maximize the marginal returns in dairy sheep production. Recent importation of semen from Europe has allowed the introduction of improved genetic stock and significantly higher producing ewes. By taking advantage of these improved European genetics and by implementing a system of data collection and analysis, producers can see marked increases in the productivity and profitability of their flock. DSANA’s Genetic Evaluation Program uses detailed data collection, record-keeping and statistical analysis to enable producers to objectively assess their flock and make informed decisions on breeding and flock development.
At DSANA’s 2022 Virtual Symposium Lynn Swanson of Glendale Shepherd Farm shared her experience with the Production Improvement Program. You can watch Lynn’s presentation below.
Some of the longest established farms in North America are using Genovis. Maggie Gelbawks sat down in 2024 with Chris Buschbeck and Axel Meister to discuss their experiences using the Genetic Evaluation Program. You can read her article below and learn how Genovis has influenced Chis and Axel’s Farm.
WoolDrift Farm: A GenOvis Superstar
By Maggie Gelbwaks
WoolDrift Farm, located in the beautiful green stretches of Grey County, Ontario, has long been a standard bearer of Canada's dairy sheep industry. Chris Buschbeck and Axel Meister, transplants from Germany, established their farm as a meat sheep operation in 1989. They had met in Germany while studying complementary subjects: agriculture for her, nutrition for him. They were familiar with sheep farming for dairy, as it was more popular in Europe than North America at the time. When Chris and Axel moved to Ontario in the '80s, they began a sheep-farming journey that would directly impact the genetics of North America's dairy sheep.
How Does the Genetic Evaluation Program Work?
As part of this program, DSANA facilitates the use of Rocky Mountain DHI in Utah for component and SCC analysis, and GenOvis, a livestock genetic evaluation program in Quebec, which generates estimated breeding values (EBVs) from collated milk production and component data. Producers participating in DSANA’s GEP receive EBVs on milk yield, component yield, SCC, and persistency.
Throughout the production season participating farms collect the following data from their flock: individual animal identification, date of birth, breed, and pedigree; lambing data; reproduction traits; milk yield, and milk quality (fat, protein, somatic cell count, etc). Per-ewe milk production is metered monthly (minimum of 4 metering events per season). Milk samples are collected on metering days and sent to Rocky Mountain DHI for component analysis. Genovis collates the data and generate EBVs for each flock. These data can then be used to select a breeding protocol for each specific participating herd based on their cull rates, need for replacements, and EBVs.
Questions? Please contact our program co-ordinator, Matt Gelbwaks, pip@dsana.org
Want to learn more about EBV values and how farms participate in the program? Check out the document our Program Co-ordinator wrote below and our 2024 Webinar on using EBV’s for breeding and selection.
Using Estimated Breeding Values for Breeding and Selection
“DSANA's Production Improvement Program is a great way to monitor and evaluate the production of our flock. It helps to ensure that breeding choices I make are making a positive impact on our ewes. I am able to make more precise breeding and culling decisions with the help of the EBVs, and the data is extremely useful. By showing me which ewes have good fat/protein and SCCs, the component data ensures that we don't sacrifice milk quality as we strive for better production. The GenOvis program is a very important and valuable part of my decision making process, and I recommend it to all who are seeking to improve the quality of their flock.” - Eliza Spertus, Green Dirt Farm