We use the SRS® Breeding System
Since 1996 Glenwood Merinos has implemented the SRS® Breeding System with outstanding results. Choose Glenwood Merinos to take advantage of the breeding technologies developed by ex-CSIRO researcher Dr Jim Watts. They have accelerated genetic improvement, improved animal welfare and increased overall enterprise profitability exponentially.
We are grateful to have Dr Jim Watts as our Stud Classer. All stud ewes are single sire mated each year through the classing box by Dr Watts and are correctively mated with rams to get maximum gain from both the sire and the dam.
Glenwood’s focus on getting the ewe base correct through selective joining and a vigorous classing program is paying huge dividends. We have concentrated on getting structure, fertility, skins and density/length of wool moving in the right direction through the use of SRS and ASBVs in concert. This, in turn, has allowed true genetic expression and a snowballing effect across the entire flock.
Glenwood Merinos produce exceptional Fibre Quality
Choose Glenwood Merinos because we produce the best SRS® wool in Australia. The fibre is bold and deeply crimping, soft handling, highly aligned and lustrous. This revolutionary Merino fibre processes better than traditional wools and has many unique qualities that make it highly sought after amongst processors. These include better elasticity, drape, better dye affinity and less noil.
The Glenwood flock averages 18.5 micron on a rolling average and cuts on average about 6.5 kg in 12 months.
Glenwood Merinos are Easy Care
Since implementing the SRS® Breeding System, Glenwood Merinos has aimed to eliminate all wrinkles on its sheep, thus reducing susceptibility to flystrike and negating the need to mules. The ewes are plain bodied with a loose, thin and soft skin that indicates a high density of secondary follicles, compared to a traditional Merino. Glenwood has not mulesed since 2005 and has not looked back in terms of management and productivity.
The adult ewes are no longer treated with chemical for flystrike as there is a scientific correlation with wrinkle, large primaries and suint to sheep been more susceptible to flystrike.
All Stud animals are run under commercial conditions and need to perform as such. All ram lambs and ewe lambs run in their respective mobs until classing at 12 months of age; if they don’t perform out in the paddock they don’t make the grade, no pampering sheep in sheds!!
Choose Glenwood Merinos for their High Fertility
Glenwood Merinos has been selecting for fertility over a number of years and today it is one of the business’s main profit drivers. Since 2005 Glenwood has mothered up all of the stud ewes identifying the docile good mothers and the ewes that have twins year after year (especially as maidens).
The ewes are wet and dried at lamb marking and any ewes that have lambed and lost are culled from the flock. There is good evidence that lambing percentages can be drastically improved from this simple management action, eliminating those females that walk away when it gets tough OR the lamb not bouncing away when it is born.
The last 5 years the Glenwood stud ewes have averaged over 130% lambing to females joined.
Glenwood Merinos have Superior carcass quality
Through Sheep Genetics Australia (SGA) Glenwood Merinos have been measuring carcass traits since 2004.
The Merino animal is all about the balance. There is a real “Ying and Yang” with certain traits. We measure for early maturity, positive genetic muscling and fat. These traits are on a plain bodied fertile animal, resistant to internal and external parasites producing good quantities of the highest quality best processing fibre.
We take the care and time to measure traits which are economically important today and in the future.
Choose Glenwood Merinos for their Pedigrees
All Glenwood stud ewes have been mothered up since 2005 and information is recorded on twin/singles and mothering ability. We’ve partnered with Sapien Technologies to automate this process with the highest accuracy possible. This information is provided to Sheep Genetics Australia to evaluate individual lambs for key economic traits and accelerate genetic gain.
Mothering up is very important to identify superior genetics and also to adjust for birth type (single, twin or triplet). By identifying these superior dams enables us to exponentially use these genetics with the use of an ET program. The ewe’s mothering ability is highly heritable, such that the best mothers standout year after year.