Finalist for the “Highest Achieving LambPlus Flock 2018”: Laurence Barrett – Kilmeany Belclares (LB)

Laurence Barrett established the Kilmeany Belclare Flock in 1988 and has been a member of the LambPlus Program since 2009.

Laurence is a very active member of LambPlus, and this can be seen from the high DQI score he has achieved of 94%. Throughout the year Laurence records all the highly influential data that is required to produce the most accurate evaluations. Laurence took part in the Ovigen Project and now regularly genotypes some of his replacement females.

Laurence regularly shares stock rams with other Belclare breeders which helps him to maintain his flock linkage. Many CPT Sire have also been sourced from Laurence’s flock over the years, which is very beneficial to his flock as the commercial data collected improves the accuracy% of his pedigree lambs, while also helping to drive the rate of genetic gain in his flock.

In 2018, Laurence’s lambs had an average accuracy% of 41.5%. The lambs also had an average Replacement Index of €2.01 and an average Terminal Index of €0.80.

When selecting his replacement females, Laurence always uses the €uro-Stars as a selection tool, ‘Champions for showcase, €uro-Stars for breeding’ By using €uro-Star as a selection tool when selecting his replacement females Laurence feels he has improved the performance of his flock.

Influential Sires:

A ram that was highly influential in Laurence’s Flock was Kilmeany LB1301506. This ram was used in the CPT and has left a huge impression on the flock in terms of genetic gain. In more recent years, the addition of Violet Hill Béla has driven the rate of genetic gain in Laurence’s flock even more. He is a past CPT Sire and he was also used to inseminate ewes as part of the RamPlus program. He carries impressive figures on both Indexes.