With Rams sales season now upon us, and most sales including €uroStar evaluations in their catalogues, it is worth taking some time to understand how to use this information to your benefit.
The result of the data collection & processing work of Sheep Ireland is the generation of €uroStar Indexes, which can be a useful selection tool for Pedigree & Commercial farmers when making breeding decisions in their flocks. Data is collected on various traits that affect a flock owner’s profit margin and is then combined into the various €uroStar Evaluations.
LambPlus, the performance recording service offered by Sheep Ireland, has resulted in greater data collection and higher availability of performance-recorded rams in the sale season.
Guidelines about how to use the €uro-Stars for ram purchasers
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Identify what aspect(s) of your flock’s performance you would like the Ram to improve,
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Production ability of your lambs (Growth-days to slaughter, Carcass weight, etc),
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Maternal ability of your ewes (Weaning Weight, Number of Lambs Born, etc).
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Lambing ease of your Ram(s).
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Select the Ram(s) based on the traits you want to improve most in your flock.
The Replacement and Terminal Indexes are designed and weighted using a bio-economic model to aid the selection of animals that will produce the best genetics for the industry, and to rank these animals on the predicted profitability per lamb born. The € value beside each of these indexes represents the predicted difference in profit that each lamb sired by this ram will have over and above the average.
€uroStars attached to an animal remain WITHIN BREED, ranking each index in 20% groupings, 1-star representing the bottom 20% of the breed for that trait and 5-stars representing the top 20%. The higher the stars, the higher the predicted profitability of that animal within that breed.
The €uro-values of each trait and index can be compared ACROSS BREEDS, which allows any two rams to be compared to each other regardless of breed.
Consistently using 5-Star rams leads to gains on many traits that have a big impact on flock profitability!
In the following Teagasc’s Ovicast, David Coen from Sheep Ireland explains the Eurostar Terminal and Replacement Indexes, outlining what they mean and how to interpret them when selecting rams. Also explains how to check if a ram is SIS-eligible, and how to make the most of the RamSearch online tool.
It has never been easier for farmers to identify and source the right genetics for their flock. The majority of lowland breed societies in Ireland host their flockbooks on the national database. In turn, the €uroStars are visible in each society’s sales catalogues for the performance-recorded animals.
For farmers who prefer to buy directly from the breeder, www.ramsearch.ie is the main source of rams available. It allows farmers to look up the details of individual rams and search for local performance recording breeders. It is also a great tool to find SIS-approved rams.