Funding for the next phase of the RamCompare project has been confirmed. The deadline for ram nominations is the Friday 14 May and next year three new farms will also join the project.

Results for the 2020 lambing season will be released in an industry webinar on Thursday 20 May. Join us to find out who has come out on top from the five-year results. Register for your free place today!

The Sheep Breeders Round Table (SBRT) will take place between Monday 15 and Friday 19 November 2021. It is open to anyone with an interest in sheep production and always attracts a varied audience of farmers, breeders, researchers and vets. Register for your free place today.

The Sussex Cattle Society are funding the costs for weight recording for any society member to improve accessibility and increase the uptake of performance recording within the breed.

Using the CT scanner, the carcase weights and areas can be measured to give an accurate evaluation of the carcase quality of the lambs. This information is used to calculate the valuable CT EBVs to enhance selection for superior carcase quality.

You can access the most up to date reports at any time via the reporting section on the Signet database. The great thing about online reporting is that it is flexible and always up to date. Be sure to let us know which is the most helpful way you want to receive your reports.

You can now add breeding stock which you have for sale to our For Sale pages on the Signet website. Last year’s breeding season saw a large number of visitors to these pages looking for performance recorded animals, make sure yours are listed. It is also a great place to find your next performance recorded animal.

List sheep for sale

List beef cattle for sale
 

As we enter the spring, breeders are constantly submitting data onto our Signet database. The breed summary reports contain the most up to date information about the animals with the top genetics in a breed. Check out the latest breed results to find the animals with the best genetics.

Sheep breed results 
Cattle breed results 

Performance records provide ram breeders and commercial ram buyers with the best way to assess the genetic potential of breeding rams.

In this video, Signet Breeding Manager Samuel Boon talks through the importance of having a breeding plan, how to create one and how to use it to meet your breeding objectives.

Genetic variation within beef cattle is extremely important and the degree to which traits are under genetic control varies from trait to trait. Breeding Indexes help to summarise breeding data and Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) are produced to assess different traits. Breeding charts show where an animal sits within the breed and are useful in making an informed choice. This video explains how it all works.

Remember that when you log onto the database – the member access page reports the last time your cattle were weighed and the next date a weighing is due.

Ultrasound scanning provides valuable information about a carcase composition of lambs. Even if you aren’t scanning your lambs, recording a scan weight for all the lambs in your flock is important. Record a scan weight for your lambs when they average 40kg and the smallest is over 30kg. This can be done when you make your first draw of lambs.