TRIGG was one of the early breeding groups who adopted the NZ Meat and Wool SIL recording concept of linking multiple ram breeding flocks together for faster genetic improvement. The TRIGG Group has always been focused on producing what the end users require and this was the catalyst behind the search of high yielding carcase traits that are now producing carcases that have a meat yield of over 50%. Being based in the Manawatu has been an added bonus as the group has worked closely with NZ’s leading genetists and meat industry scientists who are based at Massey University.

Massey University always has been recognised as one of the world’s leading sheep research institutions and several outstanding emerging sheep industry scientists have spent their Massey University studying years assisting the TRIGG Romney Group in their search for proven genetic progress. The TRIGG Group are also involved with a Massey University designed worm program where the lambs after weaning have a drench holiday. This is the high risk time for the year for worm infestation and for animal welfare purposes these lambs are monitored closely during this period. The lambs affected with worms show lower growth rates are therefore culled while the lambs that show resilience and still grow at a vigorous rate are retained n the system. The TRIGG Romney Group farm their flocks from the Taihape hill country to the Northern Wairarapa district of Pongaroa. This wide geographical spread means the flocks encounter all climatic weather patterns each year, toughing it out in commercial reality.

The TRIGG sire reference progeny testing group was formed in 1998 by six of the North Islands leading Romney breeders in an innovative partnership to offer the best genetics from their performance recorded rams.

Performance recording is a key component in the TRIGG group’s initiative to improve the genetic merit of its rams.

The breeding values of all rams are recording on Sheep Improvement Limited indexes, enabling the group members to compare their rams against each other, and against other breeders.

The TRIGG breeders say SIL-records are like a guarantee for commercial ram buyers.

"We can prove how our rams perform. By looking at the breeding value of the rams on offer our clients can see where they are likely to achieve genetic gain within their own flocks. They can select rams with high breeding values in a particularly area. For example, if a farmer wants to lift the fertility levels of his ewes or the eye muscle area of the progeny, he can select the ideal ram to achieve that."

TRIGG group says the days are gone when farmers selected rams on constitution alone. The future lies in what goes on under the wool and that can only be shown through the performance figures, they say.

By using breeding values the group can also calculate how much financial potential each ram offers to a commercial farmer. Economic values can be attached to each breeding value and multiplied to calculate how much more using a particular ram will return to the grower, compared to another ram.