New Merino stud by embryo transfer

Press, 18 March 1988, Page 15

New Merino stud by embryo transfer

South Australia's famous Collinsville Stud has launched an ambitious $3 million project to establish a new Merino stud in New Zealand using embryo transfer. Collinsville 20s will be developed as a joint venture ; with Richmond Brook Station at Seddon. The unique breeding programme will involve the transfer of 3000 embryos from the parent stud, a concept which excites Collinsville's principal, Mr Neil Garnett.

“This is the first time a Merino stud has been established in this way, and the technology involved is so advanced that it will be fully operational with an elite group of animals in just five years,” he said. “Not long ago that would have been considered impossible. Setting up a sheep stud was a 50year task."

Collinsville, near Mount Bryan in South Australia’s mid-north is one of the world’s leading Merino studs and the acknowledged leader in embryo transfer and artificial insemination.

Last year it broke its own world record when a stud ram sold for $215,000

at the Royal Adelaide Show ram sales. Two other Collinsville rams also sold for more than the old record.

The New Zealand joint venture is part of its continuing commitment to developing the Australasian Merino industry. Collinsville's inter-nationally-acclaimed (Studmaster, Mr Tom Padbury. will help his Richmond Brook counterpart, Mr John Macer, develop the new stud. Collinsville 20s is named from the 20 micron average of the breeding stock to be used. This is lower than the average micron at Collinsville, but has been chosen to cater for New Zealand's demand for finer, free-draining wools. The project follows Richmond Brook’s purchase of 10 speciallyselected stud Merino ewes last October and the desire of principal, Yvonne Richmond, to use the technical expertise of Collinsville's Breeding and Research Centre.

Fifty additional ewes, selected for their white, bright wool and suitability for New Zealand conditions, will be brought in to

form the foundation of the new stud's flock. The foundation sires will include Monarch 23 (19.6 microns, 75.26 per cent yield and a wool cut of 21.8 kg), which was sold at the 1987 Adelaide Ram Sale for $165,000, Jubilee 67 (22.0 microns, 80.56 per cent and 20.4 kg), and Thatcher 85.37 (21.8 microns, 79 per cent and 18.6 kg).

Jubilee 67 and Thatcher have been used extensively in Collinsville's own breeding programme.

“We want to achieve a high standard of predictability for rams from the new stud,"

“Careful selection of the foundation stock will be combined with a rigorous selection and pro-geny-testing programme." An important benefit of embryo transfer is that Collinsville’s breeding programme in Australia will not be compromised. “There will be absolutely no change to Collinsville’s operations in Australia, yet the joint venture will ultimately give New Zealand breeders the chance to buy superior animals, bred and progeny-tested in their own environment," Mr Garnett said.