Apparel Wool, Meat for a Feast
April Newsletter 2021
This sire evaluation will give the ADBA a chance to validate and give numeric credit to the breed’s Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) of individual sires from across Australia as well as within flock breeding values (FBVs). As all the progeny will be DNA’d the Genomic data collected will be invaluable.
Sire evaluations commenced in 1989 and have primarily focussed on the evaluation of Merino sires over Merino ewes. This is the first trial in Australia and possibly the world where Dohne ewes are used to focus on evaluating commercial Dohne values. Continue reading
Dohnes Perform in Merino Sire Evaluations
DOHNES perform in Merino sire evaluation, the entire sheep industry benefits from credible comparisons of productivity.
In Australia, the leading authority that oversees these trials for the wool industry is AMSEA, the Australian Merino Sire Evaluation Association.
The Dohne Merino represents an alternative ewe breed for commercial Merino producers. Because Dohne’s are run as a separate analysis to Merinos, comparisons are not readily available. Sire evaluations allow subjective and objective, within flock and across flock, comparisons with their Merino counterpart. Since 2002 18 Dohne sires from across Australia have been used in 5 sire evaluations across 5 states. Continue reading
March Newsletter 2021
An excellent face to face ‘think tank’ meeting was held in Adelaide from Monday 22 to Wednesday 24 February, with the Western Australian councillors attending by using the zoom platform. Zoom has been used regularly over the past year for council and subcommittee meetings.
Councillors welcomed Darren Gurnett to his first Face to Face meeting and looks forward to working with Darren on Council matters.
Thank you to Cameron Hills for once again organising this annual meeting and assisting in the provision of a well run and successful two days.
Results and details from this meeting will be forwarded to members shortly. Continue reading
February Newsletter 2021
Sheep Genetics Dohne current Top Sire List as of the 15 February 2021.
Since the inception Sheep Genetics has displayed a top Dohne sire list. For accuracy and merit, standard requirements (default) are progeny from 2 or more flocks and 15 progeny in the current drop. The search engine enables breeders a wider individual search but the actual top sire list is the default setting. Continue reading
Dohnes Close to ‘Silver Bullet’
THERE is no silver bullet when it comes to the perfect breed of sheep, but when WA farmer Greg Moir, his son Darren and son-in-law Paul Richardson came across the Dohne, they knew they were close. “Five years ago we were sick of relying on the wool industry and went looking for a dual-purpose sheep,” Greg said.
“We needed a breed that could basically look after itself and fit around our cropping program, and one of the best things about the Dohne is that they are a self replacing flock which was the main reason we decided to go into them .”
“When we started in Dohnes, they were being sold for good affordable prices and we wanted to get rams quickly, so it worked out well.” Continue reading
Christmas Newsletter 2020
Members are to be congratulated on their ram sale results off the back of prolonged drought, low wool prices and low national breeding ewe numbers.
Council has some exciting projects on the table for 2021. One in particular is the Dohne Sire Evaluation which commence’s with Artificial Insemination on January 25.
A big thank you is extended to the Holt family for running the trial and providing the ewes, management and staff.
Thank you to those members who have entered a sire, we have a great representation by state, genetics and ASBVs.
The information collected from this evaluation will be invaluable in progressing our breed and, with the changing face of the Australian Sheep Industry, aid in seeing the Dohne flourish in years to come. Continue reading
December Newsletter 2020
The secretary's office will be closed for Christmas holidays starting Wednesday 9 December 2020 and reopening Tuesday 12 January 2021.
There will be only one more Dohne Analysis this year, that will run on Monday 7 December 2020. Sheep Genetics will not be running the December 21 analysis for 2020.
Reminder to all members, when submitting data, please use the new Dohne Data Submission Request Form.
National Promotions has decided to produce a revamped high quality journal. One size advert, is being offered to members and that is 1/4 A4 page. These will be published early March 2021, and will be distributed to each state so that they can be promoted at next year’s field days and sales. Continue reading
Dohne Ewes Make $438
When the Holt family of Coonong Station at Urana received $438 per head for their scanned in lamb Dohne Merino ewes, they gave much of the credit to a marketing campaign run by 24-year-old agent Helen de Costa.
The ewes were sold in AuctionsPlus' weekly national sheep sale earlier this month and the $438 pen featured 340 two-year-old Dohne ewes, scanned in lamb with a White Suffolk.
The ewes were some of the 1990 Coonong sold in total, including two pens of six-year-olds, for an average of $314.
Ms de Costa of H Francis and Co said their marketing campaign had included a combination of social media and print advertising, along with getting the word out in their agent network. Continue reading
Dohne breed is the complete package
THE Dohne breed fitted the bill when brothers David and Peter Smith wanted to increase the performance of their farm's sheep program 16 years ago and the breed is still ticking all the boxes.
The brothers farm 4000 hectares in north east Carnamah where they have a 70:30 mixed farming enterprise favouring cropping.
They also produced pigs for 40 years but moved away from them early this year, so their full focus other than cropping is their Dohne sheep breeding program.
Originally Merino breeders, the Smiths wanted to increase the profitability of their sheep and turned to the Dohne breed to achieve their aims. Continue reading
Productive, Profitable Dohne Operation at Wallandbeen
INCREASED fertility, doability and lamb production are some of the benefits introducing Dohne genetics in the flock at Milbey, Wallandbeen. Luke Wells, who manages the property for owners David and Kandee Thorn, is currently running 5000 ewes, and has been using Dohne genetics for the past four years. "We were after a plainer bodied sheep for the flies and to step away from mulesing, which we've done for the last three years." Continue reading
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