The goat industry has received a $3.7 million boost to help improve producer efficiency and productivity through the Measured Goats project which is being co-funded by MLA Donor Company, a subsidiary of Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), and in collaboration with the University of New England's animal genetics and breeding unit (AGBU) and NSW Department of Primary Industries.
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Based at the NSW DPI Condobolin research station, the project will start with 1000 Rangeland, Kalahari, and Boer does, running over a five-year timeline with a goal to rear at least 8000 kids over its course.
Leading the project is NSW DPI livestock genetics research officer Dr Tom Granleese, who said that after consultation with goatmeat producers from NSW and Queensland, the need for the project was clear.
"The Measured Goats project will gather genomic data on key production, welfare and reproduction traits to develop a series of performance benchmarks," Dr Granleese said.
"This data will underpin a new goat genomic reference population, which will be used in Kidplan analysis."
NSW producers are the largest suppliers of Rangeland goats for processing in Australia, underpinning a $242 million per year goatmeat export industry.
Dr Granleese believes the project will assist goatmeat producers meet growing demands.
"As the industry strives to boost national supply, upgrade harvest systems, and meet consumer demands, it's crucial to collaborate with producers on effective selection and crossbreeding strategies," Dr Granleese said.
"By doing so, we can unlock the untapped potential within Rangeland herds, achieving rapid genetic improvements in production and welfare traits while enhancing farm profitability.
We can unlock the untapped potential within Rangeland herds, achieving rapid genetic improvements in production and welfare traits while enhancing farm profitability.
- Dr Tom Granleese, NSW DPI livestock genetics research officer
"The Rangeland breed is the most genetically diverse breed within the domestic species.
"This means there is an opportunity to make a lot of gain in production, reproduction, resilience and welfare traits.
"Another element to this project is upskilling, not only commercial producers and stud producers, but also service providers.
"The project should increase the overall knowledge of genetics in goat production systems."
Colin Ramsay, Dudauman Park Boer Goats, Quandialla, has been infusing his Boer goats with genetics to improve estimated breeding values for more than 15 years.
Mr Ramsay has supplied 50 Boer does to the reference herd at Condobolin and will send a number of rams over as well, and said that the project would have long-term benefits for the goat industry as a whole.
"The project assessment, selection and breeding is going to be based on Kidplan, but also on more sophisticated genomics," Mr Ramsay said.
"It's going to provide a long-term boost to the whole goat industry.
"The basics of what Dr Granleese is doing is he's got in Rangelands, Reds, Boers and cross-breds, looking at what works best.
"We've been crossing up for 15 years, using whatever high estimated breeding value-infusion we can find.
"Now our animals look like pure blood Boers, but actually they all are infused with high EBV bloodlines."
At the end of the project, Mr Ramsay believes the data recorded will benefit all goatmeat producers and hopes it will move the industry forward.
"There is no direct monetary benefit to the people who are involved in the project," he said.
"I think the information which will come over the years from this work will feed out into the entire goat industry.
"The bloodlines which have been put in there will emanate out. This will allow the information to spread out into the different breeds.
"The project should give us comparisons of how the different breeds perform in different traits. The result should be a dramatic improvement in production performance."
