Operations – Wyoming Ram Test

2018 Wyoming Ram Test Final Results

An increase, total of 77 rams were entered in 2018 test. Rams are ranked based on a formula that takes into account all the different types of measurements recorded. This year we entered 12 rams (to provide us information on a number of the genetics lines we have in the flock) and had three rams in the top 30.  One of the rams that Jock entered, Roaring Forks 1807, a Shrop/Suffolk cross sired by our Knepp 1505 came in 4th overall. One of our Performance Shropshire ram lambs, PS-1824 (who we went on to use to breed half of our Purebred ewes for the 2019 lamb crop) came in 19th and PS-1815 came in 26th.

The tests provide us a lot of data that we use along with NSIP data to select our rams for both the Purebred linebred program and for commercial ram selection. Measurements that provide some unique input for us are LEA (loin eye), RFI Residual Feed Intake, both of which we are seeing improvements based on selection criteria. In fact this year, a special calculation we make, LEA adjusted for lamb weight, showed our ram lamb PS-1841 as number one in the test.