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There are many things a sheep or goat producer must consider to keep their flock or herd profitable, such as nutrition, herd health, crop management, building maintenance, financial planning, etc.
Given all the competing priorities, genetic improvement may not always be the top priority. However, most sheep and goat breeders and producers are proud of their herd or flock and want to have animals that perform well. Genetic improvement is one way to achieve that. Because genetic progress is permanent and cumulative, it has a considerable long term impact on herd productivity and profitability.
Canadian sheep and goat breeders are fortunate to have world class breed associations, performance recording and genetic improvement programs to support their goals to increase the productivity and profitability of their herd or flock. These services are offered through long-standing collaborations between not-for-profit member organizations within the Genetic Services Network. Read more about these collaborations on our About page.
Check out the links in the table below for information on how these services can help you to manage and improve your herd or flock.
Registration | Genetic Evaluation and Performance recording | Classification |
The Canadian Sheep Breeders Association (CSBA) is responsible for the rules concerning registration of purebred sheep and their enforcement. The actual work of registration, record keeping, and processing CSBA memberships is contracted out to Canadian Livestock Records Corporation (CLRC).
| The GenOvis program is an on-farm sheep genetic evaluation program for all Canadian users (purebred sheep breeders, commercial producers or dairy farmers) supported by CEPOQ staff. The program makes it possible to effectively evaluate the genetic value of sheep based on important economic traits as expressed by relatives and other animals within the breed or cross.
| The classification program aims to provide purebred breeders with an additional selection tool to improve the conformation of their breeding stock and optimize the zootechnical performance of their flock. The program is currently only available in Quebec, but this comprehensive guide will help producers with criteria for analyzing conformation in the selection of breeding stock. |
Registration | Genetic Evaluation and Performance recording | Classification |
The Canadian Sheep Breeders Association (CSBA) is responsible for the rules concerning registration of purebred sheep and their enforcement. The actual work of registration, record keeping, and processing CSBA memberships is contracted out to Canadian Livestock Records Corporation. | The GenOvis program is an on-farm sheep genetic evaluation program for all Canadian users (purebred sheep breeders, commercial producers or dairy farmers) supported by CEPOQ staff. The GenOvis dairy module allows the evaluation of dairy sheep for milk production and milk components. | The classification program aims to provide purebred breeders with an additional selection tool to improve the conformation of their breeding stock and optimize the zootechnical performance of their flock. The program is currently only available in Quebec, but this comprehensive guide will help producers with criteria for analyzing conformation in the selection of breeding stock. |
Registration | Genetic Evaluation and Performance recording | Classification |
The Canadian Meat Goat Association is responsible for the rules concerning registration of purebred meat goats and their enforcement. The actual work of registration, record keeping, and processing CMGA memberships is contracted out to Canadian Livestock Records Corporation (CLRC). | The new Canadian genetic evaluation program for CapriGen meat goats offered by the CMGA is currently in the pilot testing phase. It will provide genetic values based on economically important traits and the conformation of breeding animals. | The Type Evaluation (or classification) program aims to provide purebred breeders with an additional selection tool to improve the conformation of their breeding stock and optimize the performance of their herd. |
Registration | Genetic Evaluation and Performance recording | Classification |
The Canadian Goat Society is responsible for the rules concerning registration of purebred dairy goats and their enforcement. The actual work of registration, record keeping, and processing CGS memberships is contracted out to Canadian Livestock Records Corporation (CLRC).
| The Canadian goat Society offers two different milk recording programs for members (one-day program and 305-day program). Milk recording programs are a tool for members to help with decision making and overall herd management. The collection and analysis of production data is fundamental to improving the profitability and long-term sustainability of the dairy herd. GoatGenetics.Ca is an information resource dedicated to the improvement and promotion of Canadian Dairy Goat Genetics. It aims at fostering the enhancement and expanded use of improvement programs for Canadian producers and breeders, as well as international promotion of our improvement systems and genetic products. | The CGS Classification Program is an important herd management tool which helps owners make improvements to the functional conformation of their dairy herds, with the objective of selecting for the goat’s natural ability to produce higher volumes of milk over longer lifetimes. |
The Canadian Genetic Services Network was developed to support industry organizations and breed associations with the delivery of genetic evaluation programs. By working collaboratively, we gain efficiencies (e.g., IT infrastructure and human resources) that make it possible to deliver genetic evaluations at a price point that the sector can support.
We would be pleased to discuss how the GSN can support your association’s genetic improvement programs. We offer solutions that can run at a frequency that works for you (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually), with traits customized for your system. We can also support the design of selection indexes to simplify selection decisions and have some options for reporting.
Please reach out to discuss your requirements.
Some breeders and producers use flock or herd management solutions to make it easier to capture and securely manage their data. There are many solutions available to breeders and producers, which each have their own functionality, benefits and disadvantages. Some of these systems link to the industry genetic evaluation systems so that the data collected in your herd or flock management system can be submitted for genetic evaluations and you can access the results directly.
Working together to enhance genetic progress in the livestock industry.
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