William Hutchinson, Co. Kilkenny, is the 2023 LambPlus Breeders Index Award Winner 🏆
William has been performance recording with LambPlus since the programme began in 2009 and lambed down 57 purebred Suffolk ewes in 2022. In addition to William’s Suffolk flock, he also runs a flock of 52 breeding Texel ewes, 57 breeding Ile de France ewes, and a flock of Easy Cares ewes which all lamb outdoors and are tagged at birth.
The winner of this prestigious award is calculated based on a breeder’s performance at the Sheep Ireland Sale in Tullamore. The award takes the Average breed ranking of the pen on the Replacement Index, the average price paid for the rams, and the % of rams in the pen that were fully parentage verified. In Williams case, his Suffolks averaged in the Top 2% of the Suffolk breed on the Replacement Index, and achieved a pen average price of €1040 for his rams which demonstrates the demand for these rams, compared to the breed average price of €700 on the day.
It’s fantastic to see top LambPlus flocks being rewarded. The RDS awards highlight farmers who are using data and improved genetics to increase productivity, reduce emissions, and farm in a more sustainable way.