Engagement

Some key highlights of engagement the Sheep Genetics team has had with clients, Service Providers, and the greater industry is summarised in Table X.   

Table X. Key engagement events for the Sheep Genetics team in the past 12 months 

Event	Date(s)	Impact/comments
Performance Breeder Groups                -	17-19th February 2025 - Meat Elite & Superwhites,   21st March, 2025 - Maternal Performance Group  3-4th June, 2025 - Merino Breeders Group	Each year Sheep Genetics works with key groups of highly engaged breeders to communicate the most recent updates to the Sheep Genetics analysis and discuss how breeders can drive more genetic gain and improving their data quality. This year was the first year that a Performance Maternal Group was held and was highly successful and the feedback was very positive from group members.    Members of the performance groups contribute a significant impact to the Sheep Genetics evaluation, with 24.4%, 57%, and 29.1% of lambs in the respective evaluations being sired by rams bred by performance group members of Meat Elite & Superwhites, the Maternal Performance Group, and the Merino Breeders Group, respectively.
Service Provider	30th April & 1st of May, 2025	35 attendees, which are Service Providers for a total of 383 flocks (~40%) in the Sheep Genetics analysis.   Sheep Genetics runs an annual Service Provider workshop with a group of highly engages Service Providers. The focus of the 2025 workshop was to provide updates on Combined LAMBPLAN, other project updates, discuss data quality and how to improve it in flocks, and component reproduction. Attendees range from data managers to genetics advisors, with software and genomic companies also attending the workshop.
Scanner Accreditation	19-20th March, 2025	8 scanners attended, which measure fat and muscle phenotypes for 512 flocks (~50%) of the Sheep Genetics analysis. There were also 3 new scanners that attended the accreditation training in 2025, 2 of which became accredited scanners.   The 2025 accreditation was run a little differently to past years, with this years accreditation focused on training and refinement of technique. It was attended by longstanding scanners as well as new attendees that have never been a Sheep Genetics accredited scanner.   This accreditation is part of the Sheep Genetics data quality assurance protocols. All Fat and Muscle scans coming into the analysis must be measured by an accredited scanner. Scanners must pass accreditation ever 2 years.
AAABG	24-26th June, 2025	The 26th Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics (AAABG) was held in Queenstown, NZ in June 2025. Andrew, Peta, Kate, and Marnie attended the conference to gain a deeper understanding of the latest advancements in livestock genetics R&D, as well as foster relationships with world-leading researchers and scientists, as well as international clients and service providers.   There were 120 papers total in the conference:   - 2 relating to OVIS consent projects   - 3 presented by SG staff   - 3 relating to the software (BREEDPLAN and OVIS)   - 2 relating to SG data   - 28 from MLA funded research   - 38/120 papers – 32% of papers arose from MLA funded research or arising from interest as an Owner of BP and OVIS   Whilst in NZ, Peta, Kate, and Marnie also presented at two half day workshops for NZ Sheep Genetics clients.

The Sheep Genetics team have been very busy over the past 12 months supporting and attending over 40 events. These included attendance from Sheep Genetics clients, commercial ram breeders, industry service providers, and agriculture students at in-person workshops, field days, conferences, open days, online workshops, lectures, and more. These events provide a great opportunity for the Sheep Genetics team to get out and catch up with clients face-to-face and discuss the latest and greatest of Sheep Genetics, as well as help inform commercial ram buyers and students on the importance of Sheep Genetics evaluation.  

Month	Event
July 2024	Australian Sheep and Wool Show – Bendigo, VIC  Southeast Stud Merino Field Day – Keith, SA  StrateFly™ and AmpliFly™ Extension Workshops  KIDPLAN webinar - online
August 2024	Sheepvention – Hamilton, VIC  Marcus Oldham student lecture – Geelong, VIC  Lambex – Adelaide, SA  Dubbo National Merino Show & Sale – Dubbo, NSW
September 2024	MateSel Information and Practical Sessions - online  Swan Hill BWBL Carcase Competition – Swan Hill, VIC  Charles Sturt University student tutorial - Online  AG n VET Field Day – Dubbo, NSW
October 2024	MateSel Training - online  Darkan RBC Open Day – Darkan, WA  MLA Updates – Perth, WA
November 2024
December 2024
January 2025
February 2025	Meat Elite & Superwhites Conference – Bendigo, VIC  Australian White Suffolk Association Conference – Hardorf, SA  Ultrawhite Sheep Breeders Association of Australia – online   MateSel Workshop – online   University of New England WOOL lecture – Armidale, NSW  Texel Group – online
March 2025	Corriedale AGM - online  Scanner Accreditation – Werneth, VIC  Maternal Performance Group – Melbourne, VIC  Dohne AGM – Adelaide, SA  Local Land Services Lamb Survival Workshop – Albury, NSW  Naracoorte Meatup – Naracoote, SA
April 2025	Service Provider Workshop – Melbourne, VIC  University of New England WOOL tutorial – Armidale, NSW  Southdown Society – online
May 2025	Ballan BWBL – Ballan, VIC  English Leicester Association – online
June 2025	Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics – Queenstown, NZ  Breeder Workshop – Cheviot, NZ  Breeder Workshop – Cromwell, NZ  $uperborder$ - Horsham, VIC  BWBL – Moulamein, VIC  BWBL – Wakool, VIC

 

The Development Officers have had a busy 12 months engaging with clients either during face-to-face workshops/events, on the phone or via email to answer queries, questions, and overall improve the understanding and use of the Sheep Genetics analysis. Table X shows a monthly breakdown of the number of flocks that the Sheep Genetics Development Officers have engaged with over the past 12 months.  

 

Table X. Number of flocks the Sheep Genetics Development Officers contacted each month 

Month	Count
Jul-24	381
Aug-24	330
Sep-24	307
Oct-24	168
Nov-24	142
Dec-24	98
Jan-25	165
Feb-25	174
Mar-25	145
Apr-25	123
May-25	134
Jun-25	181

 

On top of this, the Sheep Genetics Development Officers had one-on-ones with 21 flocks, discussing data quality, breeding program designs, phenotyping protocols, and how to optimise their genetic gain. The Development Officers has several online meetings with commercial ram buyer clients also to und their Flock Profile results and how to use their Flock Profile when informing ram purchasing and culling decisions to ensure producers at meeting their breeding objectives. 

The team at Sheep Genetics aims to promote interest and understanding of genetics and the importance of genetic selection into the next generation, with the Sheep Genetics Development Officers delivering several lectures and tutorials over the past 12 months. 

Instilling genetics concepts early for students is important to ensure they enter the workplace with an understanding of what ASBVs are, how to implement genetic selection into their workplace, and the benefits genetic selection can have on farm productivity and profitability.

The Sheep Genetics team helped foster this by delivering guest lectures and tutorials for university students at

• The University of New England
• Charles Sturt University and
• Marcus Oldham

High school students heard from the Sheep Genetics team at RYAG events in Walcha and the Ross McKenzie workshop which was delivered to students from several schools at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo.

MateSel is a genetic selection tool which can help sheep breeders identify animals to breed from to make genetic gain whilst managing inbreeding and co-ancestry. Sheep Genetics Development Officers run MateSel training and accreditation multiple times a year, as it is a powerful tool used for genetic selection and requires comprehensive understanding before use. A total of 21 Sheep Genetics clients attended and passed MateSel training over the past 12 months. Of the 21 clients that attended and passed MateSel training, their knowledge on MateSel increased by 140%.   

There are 275 Sheep Genetics members and Service Providers with MateSel access that span across 1,034 flocks. Table X shows the total number of MateSel runs each month over the course of the last year. The number of MateSel runs increased by 106% in 2024-25 from 2023-24. 

Table X. Total number of MateSel runs per month from August 2024 to June 2025 

Month	Number of runs
Aug 24	11
Sep 24	8
Oct 24	17
Nov 24	51
Dec 24	77
Jan 25	67
Feb 25	89
Mar 25	63
Apr 25	35
May 25	12
June 25	2

After it’s release in May 2024, Ewe-niquely Genetics has gain impressive traction with listeners. With now over 9 episodes to listen to, Ewe-uniquely Genetics has had 1,487 plays in the past 12 months with listeners spanning over 20 countries (if including, please include Figure of highlighted world map??)! Ewe-uniquely Genetics has a 44.4% conversion rate, translating to over 308 listening hours of Ewe-uniquely Genetics by 333 Spotify users.  

Geo	Percent of Plays
Australia	0.8062169312169312
United States	0.048280423
United Kingdom	0.044312169
New Zealand	0.037698412698412696
Canada	0.023148148148148147
Ireland	0.008597884
South Africa	0.005952381
Sweden	0.003968254
Hungary	0.003968254
Brazil	0.002645503
Argentina	0.002645503
India	0.001984127
Fiji	0.001984127
France	0.001984127
Uruguay	0.001322751
Belgium	0.001322751
Vietnam	0.001322751
United Arab Emirates	0.000661376
Finland	0.000661376
Singapore	0.000661376
Germany	0.000661376

 

Episodes released in the past 12 months include; 

Episode 5 – the reach of genetics research  

• This episode explores very important and exciting component of the genetic pipeline - the research and development that sits behind Sheep Genetics and BREEDPLAN. Special guest, Sarah Day (Project Manager for Genetics) takes the audience through her experiences in seeing genetics research projects from conception right through to implementation. 

Episode 6 – genetics for all 

• Episode 6 discusses adoption and extension, two unique and important drivers of progress in the livestock genetics industry. Adoption and extension are two crucial factors which enable uptake of the research investments, ensuring research is readily available for use within industry and making genetics accessible for all. Special guest Clara Bradford (Project Manager for Genetics) takes the audience through her firsthand experiences in successful and long-lasting adoption and extension campaigns across species.  

Episode 7 – ASBV breakdown  

• This episode takes an in-depth look into ASBVs. Special guest Kate Rummery (Sheep Genetics Development Officer) breaks ASBVs down into their different components ready for you to be able to head into sale season armed with vital information such as what is an index, what information contributes to the calculation of ASBVs and where to look for more information 

Episode 8 – Following the genomics pipeline 

• Guest Bec Onslow (Genomics Processes at AGBU) takes the audience through the genomics pipeline - how does the information go from the sample of tissue to the Sheep Genetics database. Bec shares the common issues or hold ups in the pipeline as well as how to avoid them. 

Episode 9 – Mastering MateSel  

• Chloe Bunter does a deep dive into MateSel, sharing her tips and tricks on how to master MateSel runs. 

High quality data is significantly correlated with higher rates of genetic gain, due to increased accuracy of ASBVs and therefore a higher selection accuracy. Sheep Genetics members have access to a Data Quality Score (DQS) Report which highlights important aspects of data quality including: 

• Depth and type of pedigree 

• Capturing of fixed effects like date of birth, and birth- and rear-type 

• Number of genotypes 

• Effectiveness of progeny data 

• Linkage with other flocks  

• Proportion of trait measurements taken for key traits including growth, carcase, wool, worm egg counts, and reproduction 

• Timeliness of data submission 

The DQS report provides a rating out of 100 and a star rating (out of 5), as well as providing up to three areas to improve and strengths in data quality for each flock. The DQS Report is heavily used by the Sheep Genetics Development Officers when talking to flocks about how to improve their data quality and rates of genetic gain.  

Over the past 12 months, the Sheep Genetics Development Officers have been busy over identifying key areas of data quality to contact relevant flocks about and work with breeders to improve their data quality using the metrics captured in the DQS report and other key aspects of data quality. Focused efforts have been made to improve the following data quality metrics: 

• Genomic pedigree inconsistencies 

• No scanner ID submitted with fat and muscle scans 

• Low effective progeny numbers 

• Low unique dates of birth  

• Breeders not using the submission portal  

The push to improve data quality in the genetic evaluations has seen a significant improvement in the above data quality metrics. This effort from the Development Officers will continue into the future to ensure that the highest quality data is being used to calculate ASBVs, which in turn will have a positive influence on selection accurate and rates of genetic gain. The Sheep Genetics Development Officers also presented the importance of a range of data quality metrics to Service Providers and key Performance Group members across the last 12 months also, providing individual summaries of ways to improve to flocks and Service Providers.  

In December 2024, there were 142 flocks that received an award for 5-star data quality  

In June 2025, there were 120 flocks that received an award for 5-star data quality  

18 new flocks received a 5-star data quality award in June 2025