Progeny test for deer announced

The announcement of an industry lead progeny test is a significant milestone for this small industry. But it is because of it's size, the influence and recognition of the productive genes of superior animals will go a long way to improving the profitability of NZ deer herds.

This plan will reinforce the DeerSelect program and put dollar indices for farmers to rank sires and dams whose genes are chosen for per animal improvement.

There was a period where this industry was driven by growth but with deer numbers now growing slowly, quality, efficency and improved per head returns are the drivers for better profitability to enable deer farmers to compete with alternative livestock land uses.

The monitor farm system has highlighted the management skills for improvement, and DeerSelect and this Central progeny trial will help identify the genes that lock in those advantages.

A central progeny test for deer (DPT) is underway and inter-stud comparisons of terminal traits should be available in a little over a year reports Rural News. Amanda Bell, chairman of the Deer Industry New Zealand's Industry Productivity Group, told the sector's annual conference in Timaru this week that 821 hinds split between two farms were inseminated in March with semen from 15 reference sires.

Progeny traits such as growth rate, weaning weight and carcase characteristics will be measured in male fawns to produce Estimated Breeding Values for the sires allowing inter-stud comparisons. Maternal traits such as fertility, survival, and longevity will also be measured in hind fawns. EBVs for the terminal traits should be available within 18 months. "The maternal traits will be a couple of years behind the terminal traits." The EBVs will be combined to produce an economic index based on growth rate and carcase traits for terminal sires, and, in due course, a maternal index.

Bell describes the DPT as "the missing link", pulling together current breeding value work and DeerSelect records, providing the benchmarks to help ensure the industry as a whole is using the best genetics available. "The DPT will deliver economics, heritabilities and correlations for us to improve a number of traits on farm. They will lead through to efficiency benefits for the processors and with the addition of venison attributes such as taste, texture and colour, add value to the market and consumer."

With genetic technologies advancing, as evidenced by DNA sire proving in the dairy industry and SNP Chip technology in sheep, the progeny test for deer should facilitate the use of such tools in the sector and so further speed genetic gain. "It's a fast moving and exciting field and we need to embrace it... Genetic gains can arguably deliver the biggest productivity gains... Given the challenges of landuse can we afford not to be involved with these genetic advances?" Bell stresses the focus must be on profitability, not just productivity.

For breeders that means making sure they record and log data with DeerSelect. For commercial producers it means using EBVs or indices in their sire purchasing decisions. The first "round" of DPT work will take three years and $430,000. Alliance has backed the project for three years, and Silver Fern Farms and Landcorp have made a commitment for at least the first year.

Deer Industry New Zealand has calculated the project will deliver a 28% internal rate of return.  DPT Goals
• Develop economic indices for growth rate and carcass traits to rank all stags irrespective of their breeding.
• Develop similar systems to compare animals for maternal traits, in dollars for a wide range of blood lines.
• Provide a platform to build new technologies into breeding programmes, such as genomics.
• Renew and strengthen linkage between current and new DeerSelect participants.