The Kelso
Concept and the Kelso Philosophy
Kelso is focussed on breeding
sheep that will deliver excellent profitability on commercial
farms. Therefore the Kelso genetic improvement programmes are
focussed on those characteristics that are the most important
contributors to profitability for our Kelso clients.
The core
of the Kelso concept is the dynamic breed. The Kelso Maternal
and the Kelso Ranger are not fixed breeds with a list of defining
breed characteristics based on their appearance. They are
sheep that are bred to be working sheep that deliver higher
profitability to the farmers that use them.
The two Kelso 'breeds'
are being continually upgraded and modified to meet the changing
requirements of the Kelso clients. As the Kelso sheep are not
fixed breeds, we will continue to evaluate new sources of genetics
and incorporate them when we see the need.
The Kelso breeding
strategy
Our breeding strategy is to maximise the rate of
genetic gain for the traits that are the biggest contributors
to profitability on commercial farms. However we have always
recognised the importance of structural soundness to the performance
of the rams and their offspring in the real world. Hence we
will keep up our culling for defects that would compromise such
soundness.
What it means for you as a farmer
Our rankings of
individual rams recognise that each farm is different. Therefore
we take into account the particular requirements of your
farm and offer a group of rams for inspection that will meet
your specific requirements. For example if you are purchasing
the Kelso Maternal rams, and the lambing percentage (fecundity)
of your flock is already high enough, we will put more of a
focus on other traits. If you are concerned about growth rates
and parasites, we will sort out rams that are superior for growth
rate and superior for resistance to internal parasites with
a much-reduced emphasis on fecundity. This allows you to focus
on the rams most suited for your own situation.
What do the
Kelso Maternal and the Kelso Ranger deliver?
The
Kelso Maternal is designed to produce highly profitable commercial
ewes with high lambing percentages, good survival and excellent
growth rates. Now that we can point to excellent progress
on these three key traits, we are also adding in resistance
to internal parasites and are looking at ways to include resistance
to facial eczema.
The Kelso Ranger is a terminal sire that
has excellent libido that sires lambs with high survival
rates, fast growth rates, high carcass yields and desirable meat
characteristics (leanness and muscling).
Progeny testing
Kelso
uses the best tools available to ensure genetic progress.
For example, we are now starting to use progeny testing for traits
like lamb survival, resistance to parasites, and resistance
to facial eczema. This goes beyond what standard recording
within the stud flock can do for these traits, so that in using
progeny testing, we can achieve faster genetic gains.
