Reproduction Potential

For decades the quest for the true dual-purpose Merino has been an ongoing saga throughout the Merino world. There have been many breeding program that have sought to do so, but very few have succeeded in perfecting a true dual-purpose sheep. We should be extremely proud that in South Africa we have in the Dohne, developed a Merino with a reproduction potential and lamb growth rate equal to or better than most meat sheep breeds with carcass qualities equal to international export standards. At the same time the Dohne can produce fine merino wool of very superior quality. The hardiness and easy care features of the Dohne enable this level of production to be achieved at low cost in some of the most severe commercial situations where sheep are run. In my experience over a lifetime with sheep breeds in many parts of the world, I believe that the Dohne today is unequalled in the levels of profitability that can be achieved. It concerns me that there is so little acknowledgement of this unique achievement in South Africa.

While in countries where the Dohne has recently found a new home, it is heralded as the solution for a declining wool industry, there still exists in South Africa a reluctance on the part of many in the industry establishment and the industry media, to acknowledge this remarkable achievement and to give the Dohne the adulation it deserves as one of our industry's greatest success stories - undoubtedly the major achievement of the Merino Industry in the 20th Century. Having been involved in the development of the Dohne over the past 40 years and having had extensive experience of the Merino in all its forms and shapes, both in South Africa and elsewhere, it is important to record the steps that led to the ultimate success of the Dohne. I was appointed as a young sheep and wool officer in Stutterheim area in 1961 - the area where the visionary, Koot Kotze of the Dohne Agricultural Research station, had embarked on the development of a better adapted woolled sheep for the sourveld.

Having been indoctrinated in the "wool culture" of the day at Grootfontein, it was very difficult for me to accept the fact that lamb and meat production could earn more than wool and that conventional merino types were not well adapted to our area. It took some years to rationalise these facts but eventually the evidence convinced me that meat production could complement fine wool production. A fine-woolled meat sheep was an entirely new concept that required a radical change in mindset at that time. However, once accepted, it became an exciting challenge and from the mid-sixties I became involved in the Dohne Merino breeding program. In 1970 I was most fortunate to be appointed manager of the fledgling Breed Society, giving me the opportunity to influence the direction and pace of breed development.

 It was at this time that measurement as an aid to sheep breeding was being promoted and the Fleece Testing Centre was opened, providing ram breeders with a powerful new tool. Strangely, there was strong resistance to measurement in traditional circles both in South Africa and Australia. However, unencumbered by tradition and being innovators by nature, Dohne breeder's easily embraced measurement as an integral part of the breeding programmed. The immediate challenge was to incorporate measurement with the existing Dohne grading system and to establish a centralised recording scheme to store and process both pedigree and performance records. At the same time breed objectives had to be accurately defined. While these objectives included adaptability and fitness to promote lamb and meat production, attention had to be given to improving the quality and style of the wool on the early versions of the breed. The one original parent, the German Mutton Merino, was responsible for the high fertility and growth rates in the new developing breed. However it was to take many generations to improve its wool qualities. Experience had taught that fine, soft handling, deep crimping pure white fleeces with fluid yolk were essential for our warm, damp summers and these were the qualities aimed for. A strict program of culling all sheep susceptible to fly-strike and fleece rot was applied. As a result of consistent selection for superior wool traits over the ensuing generations, we eventually achieved results beyond our expectations.

 In terms of wool traits Dohne's today rank amongst the best Merinos. Numerous sire evaluation trials in Australia in which Dohne rams were included have demonstrated that their progeny are, in respect of wool traits, at least equal to and in some respects better than the average of the Merino rams - some from top Australian studs. Wool traits in which the Dohne excels include some of the quality traits such as SD and CV%, Tensile Strength and Comfort Factor (Yardstick, WA. 2004). Resistance to Fleece Rot and Fly Strike is of an exceptionally high order. The wool production potential of the Dohne is higher than most commercial environments can support and, because of their inherent hardiness, Dohne's can be run at higher stocking densities in semi-intensive situations such as are experienced in mixed sheep/cropping enterprises, which translates into higher volumes of wool per hectare. Consistent attention to improving the quality and fineness of Dohne wool has born fruit - with the result that Dohne rams are often able to lower the fibre diameter in flocks where they are used.

 While the superior productivity of Dohne's was already obvious in the early 1970s, it was important to quantify this and to discover exactly what advantages they offered the commercial woolgrower. Since wool growers were the primary target market, we commenced breeding trials with Merino ewes to determine how well the F1 and subsequent generations performed in relation to pure Merino controls. These trials were commenced in 1972 at two farms in Cathcart - a sour area where at that time Merino lambs could only be reared in autumn in numbers limited by the area of cereal pasture that could be grown. The performance of the half-breeds outstripped the Merinos by nearly 25%. Further trials demonstrated that a further 10% advantage was achieved with the F2-generation that exponentially increased in further generations. These higher growth rates could be achieved without loss of wool production.

 However, it was only when the F1 ewes were mated back to Dohne rams that the real spin-offs became apparent. Due to their higher body weights they could be mated earlier, they conceived better and lamb mortality was significantly lower. The most important advantage however was that these hardier, more adapted sheep could be mated for spring and summer lambing and were capable of rearing lambs at minimal cost on natural sour grassland. This advantage had enormous implications for local sheep enterprises. The potential for summer lambing meant that whereas previously hamels were kept to utilise the natural pasture, now breeding ewes could be kept in their place which meant that the number of lambs reared in each enterprise could be doubled and trebled at very little cost Furthermore the hamel lambs and surplus ewe lambs could be marketed earlier at better prices releasing a higher proportion of production resources for breeding ewes. The vastly improved cash flow from meat was achieved with no loss in wool income. These trials introduced a new dimension that revolutionized woolled sheep production in the summer grassland region of the RSA, enabling some flocks to double their gross margins within a few years.

 As Dohne's spread throughout the country, the true potential of the sheep that had been bred to perform in the harsh environment of its original home base was revealed. In the healthier areas of the Karoo and Western Cape where nutritional levels were much higher, phenomenal production figures began to emerge. Reproduction rates well in excess of 100% and often exceeding 150% became the norm for Dohne Merinos. Particularly in the West Cape, lambs could be marketed as prime carcasses at 120 days of age.

 Having been involved in the development of the Dohne over the past 40 years the question often arose - what were the factors that led to the phenomenal success of the breed? There are only a few, but they have been fundamental: The introduction into the original Merino ewe base at Dohne the genes for superior fertility and growth from the original German Mutton Merino parent in 1939. Consistent selection in the subsequent generations to maintain and improve these traits in the harsh sourveld environment of the Eastern Cape - thus genetically consolidating the attributes of hardiness and fitness, so essential to high lamb production in severe commercial environments. Consistent selection in the subsequent generations for superior wool quality traits. It is important to establish the optimum balance between wool production, body size and conformation necessary for higher reproduction and growth rates (WPP% of 5-7%). To accurately select the parents of each successive generation the consistent use of measured performance and pedigree recording is required. 65 years of co-ordinated dedication to the quest for excellence in Merino sheep breeding.

To think this can be duplicated by a single joining today demonstrates an ignorance of the principles of genetics. One might as well say that the Mona Lisa is nothing more than a piece of canvas covered with paint. Today, the number of lambs turned off per annum is the single most important factor influencing flock profitability - one of the strongest features of the Dohne. Fundamental requirements for high levels of prime lamb production are high reproduction rates, lamb survival and rapid growth rates to achieve early marketability. Early marketability of lambs frees production resources for a higher number of breeding ewes which in turn means more lambs and a snowball effect to higher profitability. Reproduction rates of 150% and growth rates of 400gm per day to weaning are common - many commercial Dohne breeders can market their lambs to slaughter at weaning or soon thereafter. In Australia exceptional carcass quality and low fat scores qualify even F1 Dohne lambs for the sophisticated export market. I have often been astounded by the phenomenal results that Dohne's have achieved in all environments. With wider international experience, I have come to the realisation that we have developed the most productive sheep breed in the world today - a Proudly South African achievement.

 The low wool prices and escalating meat prices over the last few years have plunged the international Merino industry into a crisis, which has resulted in an unprecedented decline in Merino ewe numbers as more and more flocks are being mated to meat sires as a survival strategy. This is a dire threat to the future of the wool industry in Australia and the Dohne is seen as the means to enhance meat production and so maintain the viability of Merino flocks. Introducing Dohne's into Merino Flocks should not be seen as a "switch" to another breed. Apart from using fewer rams to produce higher lambing percentages and significantly heavier and faster growing lambs, wool production will be fully maintained and the quality perhaps improved. Breeders who introduce Dohne genetics into their flocks are fully committed to the wool industry and are reluctant to embark on the short term negative program of indiscriminate crossbreeding with meat sires. They should be praised rather than criticised for this initiative. We can be extremely proud that in South Africa we have been successful in developing true dual-purpose Merino, producing both elite fine wool and prime lambs. The Dohne has been the benchmark which has inspired the change toward plainer and more productive Merinos in our country. Dohne’s extensively used in Polled Merino Studs in South Africa and more recently in Australia. It is a concern to me that this had been surreptitiously done in South Africa, with as yet no credit given to the contribution of the Dohne in these studs.

 In the commercial sector sheep breeders are voting with their cheque books - there is almost a stampede to obtain the limited number of Dohne rams available to our industry in South Africa and record average prices have been achieved on Dohne Production Sales this year. This is because the Dohne has clearly emerged as the most profitable commercial option in most production environments. This is certainly also apparent in Australia where, since its introduction there in 1998, it is having a major positive impact on the viability of woolgrowers and from where it has spread to New Zealand and South America.

In contrast to our own country where there is still skepticism in the Merino Industry, in Australia the Dohne has been embraced by many of the leading studs as a means to improve the viability of their client's flocks. Household names such as Uardry, Haddon Rigg, Roseville Park, Strathaddon and others are examples of this. Because of its productivity and easy-care attributes it has been dubbed "The Sheepman's Dream". Dohne's have made prime lamb production in self-replacing Merino flocks an exciting option in Australia where it is seen as an alternative to cross breeding for meat production and so is regarded as the salvation of a declining wool industry. It is time we proudly acknowledged that we have been successful in South Africa in developing the ideal dual-purpose Merino and accept it as an integral part of our Merino Industry, available to everyone to improve the productivity of our woolled sheep flocks.