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Ram Workshop participants (opens in new window)

SAC’s all day workshop on feeding and managing rams had some uncomfortable messages for sheep breeders and buyers.

A previous event had focussed on the ewe and led to the publication of what has proved a very popular SAC publication, giving sheep farmers practical tips and explaining the science behind them.  It is hoped that the ram workshop will lead to something equally sought after.

Held in the Moredun Research Institute seminar room the event was organised by an SAC team including John Vipond, Tom McEvoy and Colin Morgan. They assembled a number of equally expert speakers from as far afield as New Zealand. The key messages concerned the way rams are presently prepared for the sale ring.

According to SAC Sheep Specialist, John Vipond,

“Rams need to be athletes, not couch potatoes. The cost of the ram per lamb produced is around £4 on many farms but this could be as low as £2 if rams lived longer and served 100 ewes a year.”

Funded by the Scottish Government, through its “Success through Knowledge” campaign, the programme included presentations by a range of SAC researchers covering how nutrition affects breeding rams and the selection of rams for efficiency, production and lamb survival. Other topics presented were tail docking, chicory as an alternative feed and eating quality.

Invited farmers also explained their own experience of selling rams, debating the pros and cons of what can be on offer at major sales or on farm auctions. New Zealander Murray Rohloff, a ram breeder from South Island, urged UK shepherds to demand rams that offered real flock improvement traits and forget big heads and bulk. He sympathised with UK ram breeders who had tried to sell lean fit rams but found no buyers.   

Those attending the workshop agreed commercial flockmasters need more information on the dangers of buying over fat, “soft”, rams and alternative approaches to ram selection.  The proposed publication will address those issues. 

For a taste of what the workshop was about, please view PDFs of the some of the presentations.

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Contact

Dr John Vipond
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC Consulting, Sir Stephen Watson Building, Bush Estate,
Penicuik
EH26 0PH
TelWork 0131 535 3215
MobileWork 07989 863 874
Fax 0131 535 3121

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