Tv Breeding Objectives

Dual Purpose, Multipurpose, All – Purpose are terms that are currently being used by many traditional wool focused seed stock providers in their marketing campaigns. As lamb, mutton and live sheep values continue to climb the number of breeds and studs claiming to be Australia’s true dual purpose genetics also climb. Trigger Vale’s Polls have a lot more than slogans and fancy marketing to back up our genetics credentials.

Trigger Vale has been focused on breeding dual purpose self replacing Maternals for well over 60 years. Over this period we have developed sheep which are profitable, easy care and extremely relevant to the current economic conditions facing commercial sheep producers. Clients enjoy the multi income streams provided by a quality merino wool clip, fast growing high yielding lambs and surplus ewe sales. In recent years however, many have opted to join surplus ewes to Trigger Vale’s lambplan performance tested high indexed White Suffolk’s to gain greater exposure to record lamb prices.

The easy care attributes of plain bodied open faced polls speak for themselves but have also left Trigger Vale clients well placed with regards to the mulesing issue. We haven’t mulesed for the past 4 years to allow full selection pressure to be applied on wrinkle and bare breech traits. All 2008, 2009 and 2010 progeny have been rated for breech wrinkle and bareness with data submitted to the Sheep Genetics database contributing to the first independent breeding values in these traits. Results to date give us confidence that with some small management changes Trigger Vale clients will be well positioned to cease mulesing if either attractive price signals for non mulesed wools or new laws force a change.

What really sets Trigger Vale apart is the fact that they have an open flock policy for their Polls and White Suffolk’s. Frustrated in industry’s lack of independent benchmarking particularly between breeds they decided to start an extensive performance testing program of Trigger Vale genetics with other breeds leading sires. Five years on and all results have been submitted through the Sheep Genetics extensive database. It’s this detailed performance testing with independent analysis which gives weight to the Boufflers claim of having some of Australia’s leading all purpose genetics.

Trigger Vale White Suffolk’s breeding objective has always been to put together large drafts of high indexed flock rams for commercially focused clients. The main selection pressure has been on growth rates with high yielding carcases. A spin off from this breeding objective is that due to the commercial relevance of their White Suffolk’s Trigger Vale has now become a leading supplier of stud genetics. Trigger Vale have bred two of Australia’s leading lambplan proven performance tested stud rams with semen sales to all Australian states. The impact of Trigger Vale genetics was highlighted by the sale of a half share in a Trigger Vale 060250 sired ram lamb by Anden stud to Depta Grove for $10,000.