Wrinkles, Weather, and Wool: The Genetics of Breech Strike in Merinos with Tracie Bird-Gardiner

Join us for another exciting episode of "Genetics in the Paddock with Emily" as we welcome Tracie Bird-Gardiner, a Development Officer from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. In this episode, we discuss the significance of breech strike within the Australian Merino sheep industry including the practise of mulesing for controlling this issue.Tracie guides us through some alternative methods to mulesing, focussing on genetic selection and speaks about the tools we currently have available.  We also discuss the impact the environment has on the expression of breech strike and various indicator traits for breech strike.Come along to hear Tracie's findings around breech strike resistance research and how we can incorporate various strategies into breeding programs. Whether you're a producer, a researcher, or simply want to know more about Tracie's work, this episode is packed with knowledge you won't want to miss!Research discussed:Greeff, J. C., et al. (2013). Dogs Can Differentiate Between Odours from Sheep that are Resistant or Susceptible to Breech Strike. 20th Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics (AAABG), War Memorial Conference Centre, Napier, New ZealandThis episode is produced by the Extensive Livestock Team within the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.To provide feedback, comments, suggestions for future topics or guest speakers you'd like to hear from, please email: [email protected] information is for informative and educational purposes only and does not constitute advice