Genetic leap: new project to unlock Australia's goat potential

However, a new project with funding to the tune of $3.7 million will soon kick off with the aim of finding an answer by unlocking the genetic and economic potential of Australia's goat industry.

Funded by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and MLA Donor Company, the Measured Goats Project aims to enhance modern goat genetic evaluation systems.

Across five years, a resource flock of 1000 rangeland, Boer and Kalahari Red breeders will be joined five times at the NSW DPI Condobolin Research Station.

By measuring reproductive and productive traits such as growth, carcase and worm egg counts, researchers hope to develop strategies for genetic improvement in goat meat breeds.

Project leader NSW DPI genetics research officer Tom Granleese, Grafton, said rangeland, Boer and Kalahari Red goats have not previously been compared.

"A question that kept coming up from producers about genetics was which breed is best for mating with a rangeland doe, but we couldn't answer," he said.

"However, by running these breeds side-by-side and crossbreeding under the same environmental conditions we can delve into the genetic component to see which breed is best."

The current national genetic evaluation for goats, Kidplan, provides tools such as estimated breeding values and selection indexes, however, it is limited to the Boer breed.

Through the data collected in the project, Dr Granleese hopes to increase the accuracy of buck selection to drive on-farm profitability.

"By adding diverse genetics into the database we should be able to find more opportunities for goat breeders to make faster gains and increase profit," he said.

"We think that genetic improvement can increase a breeding doe by two dollars per year, remembering that it is cumulative and permanent.

"Therefore after 10 years we're looking at a doe that is $20 more profitable annually than a doe that was born 10 years earlier simply by using breeding values."

The first cohort of bucks to be used in the project has been sourced from a variety of studs.

"We've approached studs who offer large amounts of genetics to the industry, as well as those that have just started in Kidplan," Dr Granleese said.

"We want as much diversity as possible so we can get a full range of the genetic performance spectrum.

"How do you know what is good or bad if you don't have diverse animals, that is why we're trying to make the bell curve as wide as possible."

Rangeland Red stud principal Matt Wood, Goodoonga, welcomes the betterment of Kidplan and said it is exactly what the goat industry needs.

"I think it is a huge win for everyone because the project will create a key metric for clients to look at as we continue to develop the industry in Australia," he said.

"It is a marvellous opportunity for stud breeders to be involved, we've got five or six bucks with our genetics in the project.

"We've been in Kidplan for a few years but were just about to unfortunately not proceed with it and do our own thing because we haven't been overly happy with it.

"However, as this project provides linkage across different studs and puts a range of bucks across rangeland does, I think the results will be fabulous.

"By bringing everyone together to help index their goats properly and appropriately we can all develop linkage together and move forward in the industry from there."

Mr Wood has collected his stud's genetic data for approximately five years and has fully DNA tested for parentage.

"If you're not collecting data, then it is more like a pretty goat competition because you don't know where you're going without collecting data," he said.

"This isn't exactly new, the cattle and sheep industry have been doing it for a long time and performing extremely well...the goat industry is just playing catch up."