DSANA members and friends,
In this issue of the DSANA newsletter we reveal some very promising milk production statistics for yearlings sired on a U.S. farm by Lacaune semen. As many of you know, DSANA has been importing Lacaune semen from France since 2017 (and new straws are available for 2020 - see below).
We checked in on one farm with Lacaune-semen-sired yearlings that gave us information on their 2019 milk production. The producer reported that their 2019 Lacaune-semen-sired yearlings averaged 907 lb milk/hd over a 7-month lactation. Some of those yearlings milked between 1,100 and 1,200 lbs in that 7-month period, and peaked at 6-8 lb/hd/d. The producer also reported that the Parity-2 (second lactation) EBVs for the Lacaune-semen-sired yearlings ranged from +21 kg to +90 kg per season (meaning that those yearlings are predicted to milk 44 lbs to 198 lbs more than the flock average, respectively!) and that they most definitely used the EBVs to select which yearlings were bred to produce next year’s replacements.
[For explanations of the EBVs (Estimated Breeding Values), and for a full comparison of the milk production and component yield difference between a group of Lacaune-sired-yearlings and their US-ram-bred counterparts, see the article in blue at the bottom of this newsletter.]
We share this information as part of our ongoing effort to inform North American dairy sheep producers about ways they can boost milk production and build more sustainable farms and businesses.
As always, please write to us with any questions or feedback.
-The DSANA board and newsletter team
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** Now taking Lacaune semen orders for 2020 **
Dairy sheep producers interested in purchasing Lacaune semen in 2020 should email Tom Clark at: Clark@DubinClark.com The semen should be available by mid-summer. Although the price is not firm yet, the best estimate is $50 per straw.
DSANA is also researching the possible importation of 100% East Friesian semen from top quality rams in Holland, but this semen will not be available until 2021 at the earliest and will be more expensive than the Lacaune semen.
A presentation on Lacaune genetics from the 2017 DSANA Symposium can be found on the DSANA website.
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Comparing milk production between yearlings sired by Lacaune semen and yearlings sired by a top US EFxLacaune ram
This comparison is of 50 yearlings milked at a U.S. sheep dairy in 2019. The dairy is enrolled in DSANA's Production Improvement Program and purchased Lacaune semen through DSANA's semen importation program. Milk production and milk component information came from milk recording and individual component samples taken on one day of metering when the 50 yearlings were at an average of 115 days in milk (i.e., 115 days from lambing date). All yearlings were on the same farm with the same feed and management.
Background information:
- The semen-sired yearlings came from DSANA-imported Lacaune semen of 7 rams; the semen was imported and used in 2017.The ram-sired yearlings were sired by a ram from a top US dairy flock which had been milk recorded for over 15 years; the ram was selected based on his dam’s milk production history.
- All ewes in this flock are metered every two weeks through the lactation season. Individual component samples are taken 1x/mo. EBVs (estimated breeding values) are generated through DSANA’s Production Improvement Program. On the metering day used for this comparison, the yearlings were all between 89 and 128 days in milk. The yearlings’ EBVs include the production information from all their female relations in 2018 and 2019.
Production comparisons of Yearling daily milk production:
results of a single test day at an average of 115 DIM
| Sire |
Number of yearlings milked |
Milk production, lb/day* |
Fat, % |
Protein, % |
| Lacaune semen |
24 |
4.62 |
5.80 |
4.70 |
US-bred EFxLac ram |
26 |
3.52 |
5.40 |
4.60 |
p-value** |
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< 0.001 |
0.014 |
0.741 |
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*Results from metering on a single test day. Yearlings ranged from 89-128 DIM, adjusted to average DIM 115.
** p-value indicates the statistical strength of the difference between the two groups. A p-value of <0.001, such as we’re seeing between the daily milk production of the two groups of yearlings, indicates that the difference is real and repeatable, and “statistically significant”.
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Take home message: at an average of 115 days into lactation, the Lacaune-sired yearlings were producing an average of 1.1 more pounds of milk per day than their US-ram-sired penmates, with no significant difference in fat or protein percentage.
Yearling Production Comparisons of Estimated Breeding Values*,
comparing the predicted 220-day production as yearlings
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220-day milk EBV, lb/hd |
Fat EBV, % |
Protein EBV, % |
Difference between Lacaune semen-sire and US-bred ram-sired
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+109.3 |
+0.16 |
-0.02 |
| p-value of difference between EBVs of Lacaune semen-sire and US-bred ram-sired ** |
< 0.001 |
0.053 |
0.518 |
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*EBVs are “Estimated Breeding Values”, a predictor of future performance of this ewe and an indicator of the performance of her offspring. In this case, the yearlings’ individual EBVs are predicting their milk production and component levels when they are in their 1st lactation and at 220 days of lactation.
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| ** The difference between the EBVs of the Lacaune-sired yearlings and those sired by the US-bred ram is significant. The difference between the EBVs of their fat and protein percentages is not significant. |
Take home message: On average, in their first year of lactation, the Lacaune-semen-sired yearlings at this farm are predicted to produce 109 more pounds of milk per head over their first 220 days of lactation, than their US-ram-sired penmates.
Thank you to Dr. Mike Thonney of Cornell University, who ran the numbers and produced this statistical analysis of the two yearling groups’ production.
To see more information about the analysis, read Laurel Kieffer’s report in the proceedings of the 2019 Dairy Sheep Symposium.
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RENEW YOUR DSANA MEMBERSHIP
Or join for the first time...
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- Access to members-only technical content on the website: 20 years of Symposia proceedings, plus interviews with successful producers
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- Ability to purchase imported semen through our Lacaune program and/or participate in our Production Improvement Program (PIP)
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Thanks for your attention and support.
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