Source: AgriLife Today
Stud ram selection within most sheep breeds has pretty much been a case of “luck of the draw” for all but a handful of traits, said the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state sheep and goat specialist.
Dr. Reid Redden of San Angelo said given their high price, most beef producers wouldn’t think of buying a bull without first examining the animal’s Expected Progeny Differences or EPDs, used to evaluate an animal’s genetic worth as a potential sire. Yet the same doesn’t hold true for stud ram buyers who often must resort to visually selecting animals with little knowledge of the genetics needed to improve their flocks. Redden is on a mission to change that.