Photo credit: Emily H Photography / JAD Speckle Park
What a sale JAD Speckle Park had recently – they certainly know how to enter a room.
To say Justin and Amy Dickens had dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s is somewhat of an understatement. They didn’t miss a trick in production or promotion and should be exceptionally proud of the stock they presented, and as Deborah Conway sang, “It’s only the beginning”. To have your inaugural sale as the highest averaging bull sale in Australia for 2019 is some sort of achievement.
I love the aftermath of a sale and the review of what happened and why it happened. The JAD Sale is an interesting example of the value of data and EBV’s. Highly respected auctioneer Brian Leslie was effusive in his praise of Justin and Amy for the volume and quality of data they provided to prospective purchasers, and I entirely agree. EBV’s, like any other single analysis method, is not the be all and end all and are to be used alongside structural assessment, genomic testing and personal preferences in selecting animals. However, do the results of the JAD sale give us a guide as to the value of EBV’s in Speckle Park? Are buyers taking note?
There were 21 purebred bulls sold, so there is a neat top third and bottom third. The top third of the catalog averaged $17,857 while the bottom third averaged $8,571. The top third had an average 400-day growth EBV of 30.7 and an average EMA EBV of 1.5. The bottom third had an average 400-day growth EBV of 15.6 and an average EMA EBV of 0.5. Commercial Speckle Park buyers are looking for growth, carcase and yield and anecdotally they seem to be taking notice of EBV’s, or as we all hope the expression of growth and muscle are being captured and expressed by the EBV’s.
Photo credit: Emily H Photography / JAD Speckle Park
The sale topper JAD Napoleon N31 is by River Line Drive out of Codiak Belinda 66A. JAD produced seven individuals from this mating and it is interesting to look at their EBV spread. The mid parent EBV (average of sire and dam) of the mating is 25, and the spread of the seven progeny is from 20 to 34. This spread represents animals from about breed average to the top 5% of the breed. The volume and quality of data collected by JAD is enabling the identification of these better performers, which I believe is a significant part of any seed stock enterprise.
It is still very early in the evolution of EBV’s in Speckle Park, but I think that the lessons to be taken from the JAD Sale are that the collection of data is worth the trouble and will ultimately help identify the best performers as well as give confidence to stud and commercial buyers. Once again JAD are to be congratulated of a wonderful sale and an enviable program.