Meat and Livestock Australia

18 John purchased some Boer bucks last year in order to ensure their genetic influence did not decline. However he is yet to have seen a single kid that would indicate it was sired by a pure Boer. As John is achieving reasonable growth rates and carcass yield from his herd, he feels it is not worth persevering with the Boers. He believes the only way to achieve reasonable joining rates with Boers would be to keep them in a tightly enclosed area at a very high joining percentage. The other focus in John’s breeding herd is the development of a polled line of goats. This began by selecting polled goats that naturally occurred in the rangeland population and has grown to the point where polled does represent about 75 per cent of the breeding herd. By running polled and horned bucks in the same paddock and then separating them to be trucked and processed, John has been able to compare the performance of these two genetic lines. At 10 months old, John reports polled bucks to have dressed an average of 2.4 kg heavier then horned bucks. He believes this is primarily due to the reduced energy spent fighting. Despite many producers claiming the polled trait is associated with a higher frequency of hermaphrodites, John disputes this. His observations have been that the condition exists in no more than one per cent of polled goats, which is similar to the broader population. He does however monitor their occurrence closely. If frequency was to increase John would likely reintroduce horned bucks in order to increase genetic diversity. An MLA funded project explored the genetic make-up of Australian goats and the association between polled animals and hermaphrodites. It identified substantial genetic diversity in rangeland goats and located the polled gene on chromosome one (Kijas, 2012). The poll mutation was seen to be the dominant allele, meaning animals could be polled while still carrying a horned or ‘wild type’ allele. Common belief, stemming from genetic studies of European goats, is that goats will display intersexuality if they carry two of the dominant polled alleles (homozygous). Meaning goats carrying only one poll allele (heterozygous) will be single sex. However, this Australian study indicated the genetic association between polled and intersex animals was far more complex, as some heterozygous animals were hermaphrodites. This means it may be possible to de-couple these two traits, allowing polled goats to be selected without increasing the prevalence of intersex animals. More research is required to fully understand this relationship (Kijas, 2012). Marketing Following classing, goats are sold direct to abattoirs at nine to 10 months old and 16 to 18 kg cwt (35 to 40kg lwt) with resulting products destined for exported. This sale point is primarily determined by the need to allow room for younger stock coming on. John also sells some cross bred does privately to other producers. There are occasions when smaller goats may be sold for domestic consumption; however this is not common since the price rises seen in recent years. In the event of declining seasons, John is quick to sell stock while they are still in good condition. This ensures weight and potential value is not lost and pressure is taken off the land. Land management John has seen numerous improvements in land condition following the transition to goats, such as a reduction in pasture weed species and an increase in preferable pasture species. He believes this is due to the diverse browsing habits of goats, compared to the selective grazing habits of sheep. John recalls how goats have grazed ward’s weed ( Carrichtera annua ) to the point where its presence has been dramatically reduced. Subsequently, grazing pressure has been taken off a number of native grass species allowing them to successfully seed and reestablish. The habits of goats to spread out more as they graze has also meant a more even grazing pressure across paddocks. This has reduced the amount of pads around water points. Despite this improvement in land condition, John has chosen not to increase stocking rates in order to promote a more healthy and resilient landscape. As seasons improve, John allows stock numbers to build gradually rather than buy in goats and place immediate pressure back on pastures. This also avoids the genetic dilution of buying in goats. While there is no specific grazing strategy in place on Orana, John is very mindful of spelling paddocks in line with visual assessments of their overall state. Paddocks will remain destocked until a rainfall event substantial enough to allow for adequate regeneration. John does have some challenges with turpentine ( Eremophila sturtii ) and believes fire is critical in controlling young growth. He has however only used fire in small areas. Polled composite buck bred by John Vagg