Genetics Overview

Landcorp Farming has a long history of livestock breeding schemes dating from the 1970s. These schemes were instituted by the former Department of Lands and Survey with the assistance of and advice of scientists from the MAF Whatawhata Hill Country Research Station. At that time, the Department was faced with a shortage of sires from private breeders to meet its farming and settlement needs.

With the incorporation of Landcorp Farming, science was more fully integrated into the farming operation and a Genetics Unit, along with the associated breeding schemes, was created under the control of Dr Geoff Nicoll. Recognising the importance of nutrition to livestock development, the unit was later expanded to include an agronomy function.

In 1995, a computerised tomography (“CT”) scanner was purchased and has been operated in a joint venture with AgResearch. Providing a non-invasive process that can measure the distribution of meat and fat in a live animal, CT scanning has allowed Landcorp to select for breeding values that lead to higher value meat production and consequently increased profit. Breeding value is weighted score of the many factors that contribute to animal profitability. Along with meat production, breeding values seek to maximise the per-animal profit from many factors including birth weight, growth, female fertility, maternal ability, disease resistance and efficiency of feed conversion.

With the major contribution from its genetics and nutrition programmes, Landcorp Farming has produced dramatic weight increases in sheep and cattle; around 2% per year gain in number of lambs weaned; leaner and better quality meat, and improved disease resistance.

In 2006, breeding programmes were extended to enable animals and genetic material to be made available to private farmers. This activity was enhanced in mid-2011 with a joint venture between Landcorp and Rissington Breedline. Known as Focus Genetics the joint venture combines the strengths of both companies’ genetics and scientific abilities to further improve the genetic quality of the sires, both for Landcorp and for private farmers wishing to share in the performance gains achieved through genetic enhancement.

 Breeding values

The breeding programmes are based on multi-trait selection indexes that combine traits into estimates of genetic merit known as "breeding values" (or BVs) for increasing the profit potential of particular animals. This form of genetic merit is passed by programme sires on to progeny born on Landcorp's farms each year, leading ultimately to profitability improvements across the Company.

In general, sire line breeding programmes select animals for genetic merit in growth and carcass merit (and in cattle breeding, also ease of calving). Dam line breeding animals are primarily selected for genetic merit in female fertility, maternal ability and growth. In the sheep programmes, selection also emphasises disease resistance and wool production.

Programmes

The eight sire breeding programmes are shown here.

Breeding Programmes
	Maternal Lines	Terminal Sire Lines
Sheep	Romney, Landmark*	Landcorp Lamb Supreme*, Texel
Beef	Angus	Simmental
Deer	Landcorp Red*	Landcorp Wapiti*
	* Composite/interbred lines