| Wongajong $uperBorder$ | Wongajong Home |
| Genetics | Health | Management | First-cross Breeders | Sale | Catalogue | $uperBorder$ | Information |
|---|
Rams that are tagged as $uperBorder$ are above average for the breed in their Dollar Index. They are available only from studs that are members of $uperBorder$ Inc. This is an association of Border Leicester studs that all belong to LAMBPLAN and that record their flocks in the same way. The $uperBorder$ tag is a sign of a quality ram.
There are 25 studs in the $uperBorder$ Group and more join every year. Members market their rams under the common $uperBorder$ brand. Each ram is sold with a declaration of LAMBPLAN EBVs, so that the purchaser can see how much above average each ram is and can choose rams on specific carcass traits if required.
First-cross lambs sired by 100% $uperBorder$ rams may be labelled as "Bred from $uperBorder$ Rams". Special sale cards and ear tags to facilitate identification of these sheep are available through $uperBorder$ members.
Members must have "link" sires (the same ram used in several studs) so that LAMBPLAN can calculate the ASBVs and index values across all studs. This means that you can directly compare ASBVs and index values published between catalogues from all $uperBorder$ studs.
Not all the rams sold by these studs can be labelled $uperBorder$. Rams can only be rated as a $uperBorder$ if their dollar index exceeds a set standard. They must be "above average" in their dollar index, and above a set standard for fat and number-of-lambs weaned. A new standard is set each year as the standard of rams improves.
These rams must also be of a good Border type and have a good standard of visual traits.
For example, a ram with a weight ASBV of +5 will breed lambs that are 2.5kg heavier (the ram's half share of the genes) at 300 days. If the ram breeds 100 wether lambs, that is 250 extra kgs of lamb. If the price is $2/kg, that is $500 extra return. Then add in the extra lambs and weight from the first-cross ewe. If the ram has an NLW of +10%, that translates to 5% extra lambs. So the 100 ewes bred from that ram will have an extra 5 lambs a year, or 25 lambs over 5 lambings. If a lamb is worth $50, that's another $1250. Finally, add in the extra second-cross lamb growth of 1.25kg (one quarter of +5kg) from about 450 lambs bred to the 100 ewes. That's another 562.5 kg of lamb, or $1125 worth. So for a ram with +5 for weight and +10% for lambs, the extra lamb sold is worth $2875.
The common Index used across the association's flocks means that rams can be purchased from any stud with confidence. Rams with the same rating will breed the same, even though they may have been fed differently and hence look different.